Qurator's Photo Quest | ICM Photography on the go

Hello Hive friends, today I am entering @qurator's contest with a theme ICM Photography. "What in the world is ICM Photography", was my first response. After I googled it and realized it stands for "Intentional camera movement"
So, it is photography where you make a movement with your camera to add some special effect.

Unintentional is more likely

I bet that is something everyone has in their photo library. Well, those were more likely unintentional camera movements. Probably if you check your older works you might find them more :) You know how shakey we were when started photographing, and back in the day when there was no camera stabilization... How old are you mister? Well, I am not that old, I just didn't have high-end equipment. Is there any rule when one is making ICM photography? Yes, it is, only one - Photography must be appealing.

How To Achieve It?

First, you need to find a good object which will be your main star. If you have nature anywhere near you, you can easily find it. A group of trees or a lovely big plant with a different and distant background will do the trick. Next thing is to take a simple shot of the object, just to make sure the composition is nice and you have something. When you will be satisfied with this part you continue to ICM. And here is the biggest catch. To achieve the pleasant effect of movement you need a slower shutter speed. 1/15 or slower will do. Because of the slow shutter speed, you need to adjust other settings. Probably the ambiance is too bright, so your ISO should be 100 or 50 if you have it and the aperture more closed. If you would like to achieve a shallow field of view then your aperture must be opened and you shall use ND filter.

Scenes to achieve ICM

Like I said before, nature will help you to catch perfect photos. However, the easiest and the most controlled environment is a place with artificial light. So cities at night, clubs, bars, streets, or your room with a flashlight or proper lighting (table light is a key sometimes) are your friend. Because the light will hit the sensor constantly the same, you can play more until you are satisfied.

GUESS THIS ONE AND WIN 5 HIVE

But this is just abstract stuff

Believe it or not, getting a blood abstract work is not that easy. However, it is the best way to learn ICM and get comfortable with it. After all, you are the artist and it is your abstract work. Maybe if there would be just a sign under the photo from well known photographer this would be a hit ;) Be cool take some abstracts and then...

Step up your game

When your ICM photography will advance you are ready for some more advanced stuff, like chasing movements. For a shot like this I did back in Vietnam, you need a moving object, shutter speed which is similar to the movement of the object, and a steady hand. When the object will pass you, you must take a shoot and follow it. If you did it well or if the goods of aperture are on your side, you will get something like this.

Good luck to all who are going on this adventure. Please be my guest and post your work in the comment.