Seascapes with Intentional Camera Movement
September 24, 2020I recently was able to take my first vacation in 2020 and headed to the coast of South Carolina. I love to get up early to capture the sunrise and create abstract seascape images at the beach. Abstractly capturing the sea brings out the emotions of the waves, the depth of the blues in the water, and the ocean’s power. While a sunrise image is nothing short of breathtaking, the photos I tend always to remember are the abstract water images. I find that intentional camera movement allows me to capture the ocean’s true essence, its emotional essence.
Here are some tips to get you started next time you are by the seashore.
ICM is a process where you move the camera while you release the shutter. This movement creates an abstract view of the subject. The fun part of this technique is that you can use any camera, any lens, and any time of day! You will want to take many images, so have an empty SD card ready to go. Every image is different, and you will want to take several shots of one scene using various movements. The photos above were all taken simultaneously but used different directions and shutter speeds to capture them.
- I suggest shooting in Shutter Priority Mode and start at 1 sec. You can adjust your ISO as needed and increase or decrease the shutter speed. If you are shooting in bright light or want a longer exposure, you will need to use an ND filter. I like to use an ND 4 or 8. Your filter does not have to be top of the line if you are only using it for ICM. Just grab an inexpensive one just for ICM photos.
- Focus is not critical. Find your focus, but you don’t have to zone in and ensure complete accuracy.
- Tripod is not needed! Yeah, the freedom to move and compose without the limitations of a tripod.
- Movement can be up and down, horizontal panning, small vertical movements up or down, circular, or wavy. Moving faster or slower can impact the final image.
- The composition is essential. Look for lines, color, a contrast to bring those out even in an abstract image.
In the images above, they were all horizontal panning but with different movement speeds.
The key is to experiment and see what you capture that speaks to you.