The Visual Toolbox: 60 Lessons for Stronger Photographs

Lesson 9. Use Intentional Camera Movement

Almost as soon as we pick up a camera we are told to hold it still, but intentionally moving the camera can create dramatic results and is a powerful tool in creating impressionist or abstract photographs. Panning is one type of intentional camera movement, but the direction and speed of that movement is dictated by the moving subject itself. To use intentional camera movement more expressively, the movement of the camera and the speed of the shutter are determined by your imagination. Trees become more vertical if the movement is vertical, streaked by a slow shutter and a rapid up-and-down movement of the camera. Pinpoints of light become brush strokes and take the shape of the path of the moving camera. ...