Creating Photographic Art From Boring Subject Matter

Using a creative photography techniques to create photo art out of boring subject matter.
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[@2DogAle]

Yup, hate summer for many reasons (cold weather guy here) but I find it boring and I get into a creative funk. This little tidbit is just the thing to get out of my summer funk, Thanks Kim!

[@cliffterpher]

Beautiful images - hadn't realised they could look so wonderful

[@tectorama]

For those like me who have never heard of ICM, it stands for "Intentional camera movement", not "Intercontinental Missile" ...Saying that, it's something I may have to try. You can also get some interesting effects with zooming in and out while taking a photo.

[@cruisemore]

You can also spin the camera CW or CCW. This will provide a center point sort of in focus and the outer bands in a swirl pattern. Also you can compile a folder full of beautiful backgrounds, using them as a backdrop for photos or things like story telling or poetry. Be creative!

[@AdrenalinePitStop]

Bloody fantastic really enjoyed watching that, great work.

[@videos2pick]

Very nice effect... At first I thought its boring, but then I saw the result... it's very different and pleasing. Thank you... I will try that.

[@lynnsphotographygreenart8098]

Awesome video Kim! ICM looks like it would be neat to try.

[@teamdata]

Nice work. The grass shots were great.

[@faerphoto]

Hi Kim. Glad to see you're giving ICM a try. I love it, though I haven't played with it as much as I'd like. I had some success a few years back with autumn forests, all the beautiful colors, so that might be something to keep in mind. Also, colorful flowers work well. I had one that ended up looking like a fairy butterfly, so that was pretty cool. One thing I haven't tried yet but have seen some beautiful examples of are birds in flight. I know you do a bit of bird photography too. The images I saw looked like they were panning a litlle, so the background had that nice blurred look, but then the birds were just impressions of overlapping lines. I'm not describing it well at all. I wish I could remember the photographer's name so you could look her up to see what I mean. Anyway, just wanted to toss the idea out there that you could try with animals too. Have fun experimenting. Cheers from Maine, USA. :) Paula

[@MrsMinx50]

Great to see a new type of photography Kim I had heard of it but I've never tried it 👍

[@andersh3204]

ICM is truly a wonderful technique! I often use it in combination with a double exposure, one “steady” and one ICM. That can give some interesting results. Thanks for the video!

[@joepublisher166]

I just tried ICM, after watching your other video on this subject. I, too, found that a shorter shutter speed, 1/4 (for instance) - that you talked about later in this video - gave me more pleasing results. So, thanks for sharing your experience and I thought I would pay you back by giving you my experience with ICM. Thanks again for turning me on to this rather interesting method. There really is this thing called "Photo Art".

[@josephweaving6458]

some lovely images, have had a go at icm but not managed much. Tom Heaton has now had a camera converted to IR for his middle of the summers day shots and seems to be enjoying it. Andy Gray was the guy withTom Heaton, he takes multiple images and overlays them to create the final image

[@justinemarchand4614]

This was so interesting and such a great way to be able to do photography any day, regardless of location or conditions. Thanks for this - you helped me out!

[@bradzaruba9686]

The funny thing about ICM, the sharper the image the more you shake your head and say “I missed on that one”.

[@marcuzas1]

For a different take on ICM, Austrian-American photographer Ernst Hass was a bit of a pioneer in color film photography. Some of his most iconic shots are ICM on color-transparency film. Worth a look for ideas, inspiration and possibilities.

[@DebFoley]

WOW!! Who knew? I LOVE this:)). Thanks so much for sharing!!

[@andrewreardon9400]

Hi Kim well that was different I mite just go out and have a go at that. Thanks for showing Love the photos.

[@yanivabrale8256]

Cool idea will try it out. Thank you for sharing

[@peterfritzphoto]

Thx, Kim. The only kind of ICM I’ve done is panning cars & motorcycles, back when I shot for car and bike magazines. Think I might have a crack at some ICM in nature. 👍🦘🇦🇺

[@daniellegrandpa]

Very good Kim, thanks for sharing.

[@michaelalbright9587]

I hope you can come to the America someday for landscape photos!!!!!!!!!!!

[@ThomasParis]

Have you tried zooming in or out (aka zoom burst/blur) or changing focus during the exposure? I've never seen a photo made this way I thought was very interesting, but you should try it. Maybe you'll find a better way to use this. Yet another idea is multiple exposure. One of my personal fav I made with a double exposure, with the same composition but a wildly different focus distance. The idea was to emphasise the pointy lights on a building. For the first exposure, I focused on the building, while on the second one, I completely messed up the focus, so the lights would appear as larger blobs. But I'm sure you could think of something else to do with this technique.

[@andy_an_outdoors_guy]

I really enjoy ICM (didn't know it was called that until now :) ) -- very experimental . I also love moving the zoom in/out to get some interesting effects.

[@pictureeyecandy]

Good for you. You are growing as an artist and a camera is just a tool. There are times for tack-sharp photos, and there are times for more artistic photos. If you believe that photography is art, art has no rules. They are just really recommendations. Just Google iconic photos, see how many are not in focus, blurry, and other so-called technical flaws of a photo. But the timing, emotion, and feeling override the flaws.

[@davidskinner274]

Thanks, Kim for an imformative point of view. As a camera club judge here in Australia, we a taught to understand all forms of photography so we can judge with some authority. The key to any abstract, ICM included, you ned to look for composition, aesthetics, balance, same as a landscape for example. The basics remain the same. Keep at it, your work on ICM is fine. In the video, you pass several times while looking around several white trunked trees in a row, with green tones of the background on one side and lighter open space on their other. I was scrwaming at you to TURN AROUND. That scene has huge ICM potential. Love you videos, thank you

[@laurelb8372]

Good idea for us in lockdown. Make the most of the limitations.

[@kimgrantphotography]

I'm looking forwards to shooting lines of trees in the autumn. I have however seen it done a lot - it works great though. I'm coming to like much of the smaller aspects of nature. Really enjoying the process. Thanks David 😄

[@trevorsneath4665]

City lights at night are also an excellent subject for a bit of movement

[@davidpipeline]

I had never heard of ICM before this, but I had seen this effect. I can envisage some of those images mounted on foam board for a more minimalist effect. Thanks for the tips, enjoyed the video. Some great trees in the videos too.

[@noeleb8538]

Another way I found to get interesting shots using ICM, is holding the camera still (preferably on a tripod), getting your subject perfectly in the center of the frame, and zooming in or out during the exposure.

[@barrystent3689]

A very enjoyable video Kim. I've been trying ICM quite a bit over the last few months and although I agree that it can turn a 'boring' subject into something more interesting I would also urge you to try ICM on all subject matter, especially beautiful landscapes where you end up with Impressionistic styled images. The results are often very pleasing I've found.

[@kimgrantphotography]

Thank you Barry. Glad you've been enjoying ICM too. I look forward to trying it in different locations and with different subjects. I've seen some great results

[@rmehta54]

I saw this video at 6:AM today, just a few minutes before I went for my daily walk. I knew about ICM before but with this video, I was so inspired that I took ICM pictures today, experimenting with the technique. Got some wonderful results. Thanks, Kim for this video. Keep inspiring.

[@kimgrantphotography]

That's wonderful to hear ☺️

[@cindybaker7543]

Hey Kim I have done this in winter with snow on trees. The dark of the bark and white of snow is so cool . And if you have a few leaves on tree will give you a third color.

[@kimgrantphotography]

Lovely suggestion Cindy. I'll need to try this next time we have snow

[@arhalimi5883]

Hi .. tQ for making a video on this very new genre of photography..

[@Ginette688]

Your ICM photos are beautiful. I like the abstract pastel like ones the best. Thank you for the instructions and ideas. I am going to have to try this!! I wonder is it possible to do icm with a macro lens? That might be interesting or way too blurry. 🤷‍♀️

[@hansbaarda321]

Hi Kim, Tonight I've tried ICM photography for the very first time, thanks to your video about it. It was great fun! Even in our own garden I made some nice shots. Of course it still needs a lot of practising, but again, I liked it very much. A long time ago ICM was a big hype too. I think it was in the 90s. A Russian analog camera was very popular for this purpose then. Can't remember the brand... Regards, Hans (Netherlands)

[@valdiskrebs566]

Holga

[@kimgrantphotography]

Glad to hear you enjoyed it Hans

[@justnoted2995]

Thank you my favourite girl. New words I have come to love: 'experience,' 'extraordinary' amongst others; Could you say a little more about your camera settings in terms of aperture and Fstop when using your time-lapse ICM pics. That will be great.

[@barrymedlin6587]

Lovely shots Kim!! ICM can be so much fun and it’s great to experiment. I’ve also tried zooming in and zooming out, and the effect can be quite dramatic, especially with lights. Gives you that space travel warp speed feeling!! Thanks again Kim!!!

[@petermaddern6653]

I've been having a go at icm on the coast here in Cornwall. Some of the images look like paintings, really enjoying doing something different. Thanks for the video Kim.

[@wellwhatthen10101]

Kim if that what rocks your boat great enjoy it, like you mentioned it's not for everyone, for me no i don't see the point in spending all that money and time in getting to the quality equipment that you have strived for and then shake the camera to make Unsharp images. you can reproduce the same effect in software. keep them coming Kim.

[@kimgrantphotography]

I guess it all depends how you look at it. When I do ICM I see my camera as a tool, almost like a paintbrush. Without it I can't create these images. Therefore my expensive camera makes it happen 😄 It's like a painter creating a painting. They need their canvas, paints and brushes. As your rightly said , it's about personal preference though

[@brianhyland4140]

Great images 📸👏👏👏👏

[@blujeans9462]

Your samples were great!! I'd not heard of the technique done this way before. Definitely going to give it a try. I had to laugh, though, when you said 'what to photograph when the subject matter or lighting just isn't there' - as you walk past that row of crooked trees with gorgeous side lighting - just begging to be shot with a telephoto lens! Familiarity. :-)

[@andrewhumphrys5548]

Just a heads up for anyone attempting this, turn off image stabilisation.

[@TimberGeek]

Indeed! Old solid manual glass would be best if you got it.

[@treeman3663]

Thx good tip

[@10shxf]

A Very enjoyable video and an interesting and exciting style, and i love the images, great to see what new things you can try with a camera 👍🏻

[@RODPIKERDRONESUK]

Very nice thanks for sharing cheers

[@johnmclean7852]

As you play with ICM try using the focus and zoom rings for motion. The other is to split the exposure between steady and motion. Keep having fun.

[@philfyphil]

You have inspired me to go out and try it for the first time rather than using the photoshop blur. :-)

[@Pomdaddy]

Thanks Kim for a very interesting video. I am going to give ICM a shot. I am always amazed at how creative photography can be and how many different ways we can visualize and capture our subject matter. I like the fact that every shot is different, like light painting.

[@AprilClayton]

I did ICM by accident. I had an image of blurry trees that I liked, but thought it was embarrassing to share as it seemed like a mistake from a beginner. I recently shared it, and people liked it.

[@kimgrantphotography]

Love to hear this April!

[@carltanner9065]

I've done some "UICM" (unintentional intentional camera movement) shots some time back :D :P Had a bird I was taking some pics of fly off quickly and straight at my head. In ducking out of the way, I managed to get off a few pics of him!!! Turned out pretty good, actually!!

[@verlenelewis9866]

This is a very interesting concept! I have developed some health issues that have greatly impacted my mobility, and this could present an opportunity to continue making photos in my own yard. A little spark of excitement that maybe I can continue with a different style of photography. Thanks 😊

[@kimgrantphotography]

I hope you enjoy the process Verlene

[@pkeiths1594]

Try it with a Helios 44/2. £20ish from ebay and a £15ish M42-Nikon mount from amazon. Maybe the Carl Zeiss Jena 50 2.8 might be better due to its 0.35m close focus

[@FredericBonneauPhotography]

There’s a lens company that does these effects Lense Baby. You should check it out.

[@StephenJoines]

I have just tried this in my garden. Love it!. Some great tips too, thanks Kim!

[@kimgrantphotography]

That's great Stephen!

[@jazzydebs]

Really enjoyed this Kim :) Such an interesting way of trying something very different :) Was great to hear your thought process! x

[@albertmaramis9073]

Thx so much, Kim, for this inspiring video. After doing UCM so far, I will definitely try ICM now :-)

[@diegomilanese3930]

A great lesson on Photography. Thank you so much!

[@joyriggphotography]

Lovely video Kim, I recently got into ICM photography and i find it fun, I’m still learning like you but it’s great to see video’s to get other peoples ideas so ThankYou.

[@fredfleming8905]

Thank you Kim you’ve rekindled a technique I have not tried. My preference even in art before I became interested in photography was realism not Impressionism. I like everything sharp and real…especially tack sharp photography. However there are many slightly out of focus photos that have a dreamy/calming effect I like very much. I will give it a try next outing. Stay safe thanks again for another great video. Fred in Texas

[@ianhamer4294]

I too saw the Thomas Heaton video and gave i c m a go. You have your own take on the concept which i think gives a more pleasing result Kim. Thanks for sharing.

[@NakedInSeattle]

Thank you!

[@davidjervis7982]

I liked the images. Very impressive. Another option to try is a zoom burst. Put the camera on a tripod with a shutter speed of about 5 seconds. Then press the shutter and zoom during the exposure.

[@jackstutts6439]

ICM does make for a nice change of pace. I find using a cheap plastic lens, like a Diana, make for an even more interesting effect. As one of the previous commenters mentioned, changing the focal length of a zoom lens can yield interesting results as well. I encourage you to try that.

[@laurelb8372]

Thought provoking, and will give me a goal during another lockdown. A chance to try and get abstract images, thanks for the video.

[@alasdairmackenzie905]

Dabbled in this some time ago and then basically forgot about it. So, thanks Kim for the inspiration to try again.

[@Energine1]

I love how ICM brings that ethereal sense back to an artform that can feel so literal at times. The textures, swaths of color and lack of defined subject lend well as a stunning background image. ... now if only Scotish girls were into cowboy hats ... a man can dream right? 🤠

[@neilcole3406]

Another form of abstract, and that’s a good thing!

[@davidcox9295]

If you are using a zoom lens you can also do zoom bursts as part of ICM, it creates some interesting effects.

[@daniellegrandpa]

I tried ICM on yard grass a little bit ago, using a slow shutter speed, truly amazing pictures, I'll have to explore more on different surfaces.

[@guyyowell8547]

I loved the blades of grass, but I found the ICM of the bark less interesting. The ICM of the blades of grass would make a great backdrop for portraits. I’ve found that Skin tones often look beautiful against a green background.

[@kimgrantphotography]

I too preferred the grass images. It's fun to experiment 😄

[@anselman3156]

The grasses are really beautiful.

[@barryhiggott9458]

Thanks

[@mchjubjub6915]

The first set if pictures are worthy of putting on anyone's wall. I occasionally make mistakes where the shutter fires unexpectedly and I think ooh that looks good! I deleted most of them as I'm sure a lit of people have done. I'm looking at this in a new light now (no pun intended!). As ever, another great vid👍

[@liamblackphotography]

I dabble with this now and again.. you should try IR photography it’s a brilliant process

[@kimgrantphotography]

It certainly looks interesting 🤔

[@donaldgould1293]

Thanks Kim. I always enjoy ICM but no not use as much as I could. I sometimes forget to turn of IBIS and with Olympus you often end up with an almost usable image at 1sec. In Australia I am currently in lockdown and a bit restricted to areas well photographed. A wonderful reminder thanks. It will keep me well occupied of extremely frustrated. Stay safe.

[@frederickmcdonald6636]

Wonderful, as usual! Great idea....

[@stevebloom47]

Wow, glad I've watched your video. I've been trying icm on and off for a while but struggled with it. Your suggestion on shutter speed will, I hope, help me 👍👍👍👍

[@mick8586]

interesting video Kim ,going to give it a try should be fun , thanks

[@whafrog]

Really like the first grasses, and love the linear bark shot with those fantastic tones. I think last year at this time I experimented with ICM, and got a few I liked. Lately I've been having the usual "summer blues", so thanks for the reminder, I'll have to get out and try this as a change!

[@jerrysmith7385]

Stirred my interest, thanks Kim.

[@JohnHPettigrewFujishooter67]

I do this a lot Kim, I too remember that TH video and after that I did my own ICM video, but it was not my best lol. I find ICM works great at the beach and also on flowers, funny enough I had just finished processing a couple of beach ICM before watching your video. Thanks for sharing Kim awesome as always.

[@isotechimages.9130]

Thanks for bringing this back to my attention as l have just picked up the new Z105mc lens as we are back in lockdown, so this is another technique where l don't need to go anywhere spectacular. Just back to normal photography for a second at the 10.05 min mark of the video over your left shoulder that long line of trees would make a stunning woodland composition, have you ever shot it??

[@kimgrantphotography]

I've always thought that too Scott. O haven't shot it yet but saving it for a misty or autumn day 😄

[@kevinmorgan7091]

Lovely calming images, very creative and food for thought. I would love to see a video of the images with music and a narration of creative writing to complement them. It's something I've never seen done before but think would be so fitting for this type of photography.

[@kimgrantphotography]

Great idea Kevin! I may do this on my other channel

[@Brenda-xc7sq]

Another fascinating video Kim, I wonder if ICM shots would also work well with a stand of tall trees. I am off to practise.

[@darrenleigh201]

Yessss. I've found that aspen trees with their autumn colors and white bark work particularly well for ICM!

[@kimgrantphotography]

I believe so - I am excited to try this in the autumn

[@martinthody9335]

Until watching the video, I’d never heard of ICM, but it looks a fascinating genre to try, especially at this time of year. The first images you showed had me saying “Wow!” out loud, so thank you so much Kim for sharing another great video with us and for opening my eyes to a new horizon in the ever increasing world of creative photography.

[@kimgrantphotography]

Glad you enjoyed it Martin. Thank you for watching ☺️

[@joncothranphotography9375]

Very interesting! Quick question: What constitutes a "boring location"? Thanks for sharing a new type of photography with me!

[@kimgrantphotography]

Technically nothing but some locations are very difficult to get good photos in at certain times of day or with certain light. Eg woodland looks amazing in fog, when raining or with golden light but often is difficult to capture when sunny or with flat light. The images don't quite pop the same. ICM therefore can work great in these cases

[@joncothranphotography9375]

@@kimgrantphotography Thanks Kim.

[@mikehutchinson6567]

Hi Kim here's s an ICM method you might like to try with a zoom lens and a 3 stop nd filter !!!. The center of the image is super sharp but everything else around the middle is is fanned out I tried this in a flower meadow the images are really quite different and interesting cheers Mike Hutchinson.

[@kimgrantphotography]

Thank for the suggestion Mike. I will need to try this sometime 😊

[@NaturePhotoStudios]

What a great idea how to be creative when you're just not feeling the conditions or the subject. By the time I get off work every day the light is horrible and with my work hours seven days a week I'm usually in bed before the light gets good in the evening. I'll definitely give ICM a try and it may be just the thing to get me out of my shooting funk until I retire in 33 more days!

[@kimgrantphotography]

Not long now Kevin 🎉

[@kennethhuffman2288]

What kind of shutter speeds?

[@alexgimagery]

Very neat shots. Good to see you trying a different technique. It would be interesting to see you use that on one of your lighthouses, likely with an ND filter to allow you to use the longer shutter speed.

[@kimgrantphotography]

Thank you Alex. Panning up and down might look quite cool on the lighthouse. May try it sometime ☺️

[@scottwestbrook7030]

Now you've inspired me to revisit ICM. Keep up the good work!

[@NikonDave]

Good and interesting video...I'll give it a go but I think the hardest part for me is going to be keeping myself from hitting "X" once I get them loaded in lightroom.

[@srg3798]

Great idea Kim. I'm gonna try it. But could you equalize the dialogue/music volume. I can't hear what you are saying then the music wakes up my wife.

[@giselesmith7795]

This was a very enjoyable video. I attempted some ICM shots about 3 years ago with mixed results. Your video inspired me to give it another go. Thanks Kim.

[@kimgrantphotography]

All the best with it Gisele. Hope you enjoy trying it again

[@DonJoyce]

Yeah, I'm going to claim ICM for my next blurry shot! Lol. Or is that UCM? Very interesting results, Kim! Thanks for sharing!

[@rcpmac]

Nice!

[@richardturner81]

Cheers Kim, great video.

[@davidperkins3621]

Stunningly beautiful images, thank you for sharing them

[@treeman3663]

Icm is awsum to do and try

[@susannefricke4000]

Thank you for this new idea! Right now I am in the state of UCM (unintentional camera movement), but I will give ICM a try, on subjects and on landscapes maybe :)

[@rcpmac]

Actually thanks for breaking down the acronym ICM. I didn’t know specifically what the letters abbreviated

[@pearcemachineshop5200]

What’s ICM stand for,?

[@johngrady7390]

Intentional Camera Movement