alan frost photography

Cathedral impressions – a return to ICM

By alan frost on July 17, 2019

Back in April I experimented with the technique of ICM or intentional camera movement. Setting a slow shutter speed and then moving the camera in a random way to create the photograph. This technique produces a result which is arguably more akin to a piece of art than a photograph. That’s not to say that photography isn’t an art form. In my opinion it most definitely is, and the camera is simply the ‘paintbrush’, the creative tool to make an image which reflects your own personal vision or impression of the subject you wish to portray.

Each of these four impressions of Chichester Cathedral are a single exposure with an exposure time of a few seconds. Developing an understanding as to how moving the camera affects the rendering of the image becomes more intuitive with time and practice. You could never totally predict the final outcome but I have found that you can learn how to ‘move’ light and shade, texture and key elements within the composition to make the photograph.

Further, having an understanding of post processing options to you at the time of the taking greatly enhances the potential outcome. So whilst the results of ICM is random, the very word ‘intentional’ suggests it’s perhaps not quite as random as you might think!

One finishing comment. Art in my view is best appreciated in the flesh so to speak and not when it’s viewed on a backlit computer screen. The final stages of making a photograph is in the printing and the choice of presentation, i.e. framing. Because these images are about mark making and not pixel peeping (nothing is sharp) I believe they need to be printed large, probably on A3 or better still A2 textured paper with a matt finish. The paper I have in mind is Fotospeed Cotton Etching 305. A relatively new paper but one which I think could well suit this type of work. I shall be doing some test prints in the near future and if am pleased with the results I will consider having some of the photographs framed for exhibition and sale purposes later in the year. For more information about Print Sales please click here.

Do click on any of the images to view a larger version.

Here are some other links to other entries about ICM photography –

Finding your creative voice through experimentation

Abstraction of Idsworth with ICM

Moving along another path raises questions… or does it?