Intentional Camera Movement (ICM) may seem like a novel technique. Many photographers have been trying ICM, especially since around 2019; their practice records and works are uploaded on YouTube and Instagram. However, this technique is not novel.
In his book “Photography and the Art of Seeing” (1985/07), Freeman Patterson, a Canadian nature photographer and writer born in 1937, describes the technique of “moving the camera while releasing the shutter” (i.e., jumping while shooting trees). (photographing trees while jumping), a technique he repeatedly practiced.
Essentially, in photography, the camera is fixed, the focus is sought, and the shutter is released. This was the rule. Freeman, however, overturned this conventional wisdom. He moved the camera quickly to capture the afterimage of light.
Inspired by “photography and the art of sight,” I immediately set out to challenge myself. I wanted to capture not trees, but the hustle and bustle of the city as a trail of light. For example, a person’s figure crossing in front of me would be sensitized as a faint afterimage by moving the camera. It is like an uncertain afterimage stored in the human brain, and somehow nostalgic.
Of course, I am not denying traditional photography. It is a new interpretation of photography. I am challenging ICM as a means of expanding my field of expression. This technique is fascinating, fresh and inspiring. But it is much more difficult than it seems.
In 2022, I am actively using ICM to shoot on beaches, temples, and urban areas near me. Sometimes a mysterious and deeply spiritual expression similar to the collodion process, in which silver nitrate is applied to a glass original plate and photographed, can be reproduced with a digital camera. Without sticking to ICM, I will always seek new photographic expressions that transcend preconceived notions.
ICM Kamakura Zaimokuza, evening view, June 12, 2022 #IMG_4836
Seashore Sunset #4854 – June 12, 2022 18:04
About #4854 This work was taken in the same place and at about the same time as work #4852. The sun before sunset, the hills in the distance, the surface of the sea reflecting the light, the sandy beach, and the ripples lapping at my feet. These are the components of this work.
The lens slides with dreamlike speed from the right side of the scene to the sun, capturing and fixing the sun in the center. It is a momentary performance. Yes, less than a tenth of a second. At this time, the lens is stopped down to its maximum value, and also a filter called ND400 is used to control the incoming light.
My ICM photos are not edited or altered by Photoshop or other applications. I only remove noise. One moment of shutter release is all that matters.
About #4852 The horizon does indeed cross the field of vision from side to side. But is that really all there is? When you are being tossed about by waves, the horizon is not necessarily a straight horizontal line. ICM is about weaving movement and time into a still image.At the moment the sun disappeared into the west, I moved the lens from side to side. Then I rotated the result by 90 degrees.
