ICM with Cats: The Purrfect Blur

Let me be the first to admit, I can take a lot of blurry cat photos. Even though I run a beginner’s cat photography blog to help others improve and be inspired to create better images, I can take a fabulously awful image of any one of the Dash Kitten Crew! You might call them ‘Accidentally Awful Cat Photos’ (AACP). (I bet dog owners can do it too.)

BUT…

Did you know that there is a serious form of photography called ‘Intentional Camera Movement‘ (ICM for short), that I mentioned recently in a post. Now ICM may not be to everyone’s taste especially if you don’t know much about it yet so let me introduce it to you. It is part artistic exploration and part experiment to see what happens. It is a deliberate and creative way of using AACP!

ICM is a Serious Subject

It is taken seriously in the world of photography so being familiar with the term and maybe giving it a try with your DSLR/Mirrorless camera is worth a thought. You will be expanding your vocabulary and your skills and, I guarantee you will have some fun. Landscape photographers create stunning ICM images that take your breath away but, I’m here for the cats so, onward!

Let me start with a great definition I found that makes Intentional Camera Movement clear:

ICM is a photographic method that diverges significantly from conventional photography. Usually, we aim to keep the camera steady and photograph a scene with clarity and precision. However, intentional camera movement during exposure results in a dynamic interplay of colors, shapes, and forms. The method produces images that convey a narrative beyond the literal capture of an image.

Great Big Photography World

Here is the kind of image a professional photographer might take. You are not trying to emulate them, just capture your own version of this. You are the photographer, the interpretation is your own.

How to Start Your ICM Journey

How do you know your photograph is a try for an ICM or just a mess? One word – Intention.

Intention in the form of camera movement, settings, and the aim of creating something that might push your boundaries to create a specific or unusual image. You will practice sharpening your observation skills and aim for a different view or interpretation of the cats you love. Any DSLR or Mirrorless camera will do. You need to be able to change the shutter speed.

How do You Move?

Here’s some of the most popular movements you can use to create ICM. The movement is often referred to as ‘panning’ or sweeping.

• Horizontal Panning Movement (side to side)
• Vertical Panning Movement (up and down)
• Circular twisting motion (twisty!)
• Diagonal movement (e.g. bottom left to top right)
• Wiggling movements up and down!

Try moving the camera, and then your whole body to see which you are most comfortable with. I move the camera mostly although the portrait of Boomer, further down this post, was done with a more emphatic body movement.

Give yourself time to learn.

Camera Speeds and Settings

If you browse the web and look up a few of the posts discussing it online, you will find different opinions about the best camera settings to use and techniques to use. I am trying with both my cameras using Shutter Priority to begin with.

Remember, you are stepping back from the world of sharp eyes, focus on fur and cat closeups. Three things are key to setting off on the right paw (or foot):

• Shutter Speed
• Aperture
• ISO

Shutter Speed

You might start at 1/4 of a second or even longer. A slow shutter speed is really important to capture the motion blur that is intentional camera movement. This speed works for you will be different to mine.

Aperture

A wide aperture gives you a shallow depth of field and this is a good place to start. If you are like me and need to check what ‘wide’ is try f/2.8 or f/4 or f/5.6. How wide you can go depends on your lens. My Canon 50mm nifty-fifty goes down to f/1.8 but my kit lens is f/5.6.

ISO

Several sites I checked advise the lowest ISO you can use to minimise ‘noise’ and preserve image quality. I have managed with keeping my iSO at 200 and I spent more time adjusting my shutter speed that worrying about this.

BONUS Cat Friendly ICM Tips

As you start work, remember the intention behind your idea. You may be aiming for an impression or just a thought that may be a whisper of a memory.

Patience

Usually I am telling you to be patient with your cat. This time I want you to be patient with yourself as well while you explore a new technique. This is meant to be fun and just a bit silly when you start.

I know, if you are like me, I found it really hard to let go of the ‘make it sharp’, ‘keep it in focus’ rules. If it wasn’t sharp and clear I’d blame myself for getting it wrong and it took a real effort to refocus my feelings around to accepting that not only was blurry good, it could be an effective way of taking photos. (Letting go of the teacher on my shoulder was quite freeing!)

An Action or Relaxation Pose?

So you don’t just stand looking confused about what to do next, let me suggest a couple of fun starter ideas.

If you have a lively cat you can try an action shot, or your is the chill type you can try a more relaxed ICM shot. Whatever you do though, your cat’s safety and comfort is more important than anything else. Step back if kitty feels annoyed by you disturbing its personal space.

One way to make your DSLR/Mirrorless camera less intrusive is check and if you can make your shutter quieter. I have a DSLR (Canon) and a new Mirrorless (Nikon) and each will require some adjustment to make the shutter less audible. Blinks and Buttons have an excellent how-to on turning the sound off on a Canon camera to give you an idea of the kind of adjustments you might need to make, and if you think it is worth the effort.

My new Nikon Z50 has a much quieter shutter anyway so I would not adjust it, but every camera is different and I recommend you read the manual or check your camera’s company FAQ’s. [No I am not getting rid of the Canon I love it too].

Did my ICM Photograph Work?

How so you know if your attempts at taking a photo using intentional camera movement actually worked?

A lot is down your feelings about the image. Like my post on submitting a photograph to a contest, this is a highly subjective art form. If it brings you joy or a sense of discovery, then I suggest you did well, even if you don’t take the journey much further.

Here’s an example. I love this ICM capture (above) of a cat portrait displayed in our living room. I never tire of looking at the original of Boomer, but am reluctant to show the original due to copyright reasons. The artist is Kapiti Coast based Marion Brennan whose breathtaking work as a Scratch Board Artist you can see on her website damascene.co.nz

Sometimes a simple non cat subject like a toasty fire can create a spectacular effect.

What Can I do With my Images?

Just like your ordinary prints, if you are pleased with a result you can share it on social media #ICM #Discovery #Fun. Or, as I mentioned in an earlier post, you can give your creation physical form such as a block print like this one, or a greetings card.

Can I do ICM in Post

Yeah sure, you can create ICM in post-production with Photoshop or (my favourite) Luminar Neo, but where is the fun in that? Sitting at a computer tinkering to make a blurry photo is no fun at all and lacks every last ounce of integrity and commitment. Well it does to a cat photographer like myself and, I hope, you.

Grab the DSLR or Mirrorless camera you love, take photos, have fun, learn. Take lots of terrible photos then grab a capture that takes your breath away and makes you proud you did it, yourself.

You, the cat photographer.

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Recommended ICM artists:

• Alfredo Mora – Nature Photographer. Lovely nature ICM.
• Tom Bol – Nature and the Real World ICM images