Discovering the art of Intentional Camera Movement (ICM)

The image is sharp and the composition is fine, but it feels kind of plain. It doesn't hold the wind that was whipping through your hair, the scent of the damp earth, or the dynamism of the changing weather. It captures the place, but it doesn't quite capture the sensation of being there.

It sometimes feels like that for me.

I don’t really know why, but from my very first times holding a camera, I was naturally drawn to movement, to the unsharp and blurry effects that could be made with slow shutter speeds. It started as something personal and inward, exploring my place in the world through distorted images of myself on unusual reflections: the reflective curve of a motorbike helmet, a laptop screen, a puddle or fragmented glass.

Not long after, my gaze turned outwards and started to play with it in the landscape. It became so recurrent that at one point I felt compelled to find a label for this style so I could organise a growing archive of “blurry” images. I started calling them “fluid nature”. Back then, I had no references, no idea that this was a recognized technique. It simply felt like my own enjoyable creative practice, explored with the innocence of a child discovering a new world before his eyes, not knowing others had walked this path before.

It was like finding a different way of capturing landscapes, a different way of seeing, one that made me look forward to both exploring the outdoors and the return home to look at what I had been creating on a bigger screen.

This style slowly grew into something else. A practice of slowing down, breathing with the landscape, observing light and shape, and allowing myself to calm the mind and explore what exists beyond the surface. This has become my Fluid Landscapes, and at its heart is the technique known as Intentional Camera Movement (ICM).

What is ICM Photography?

Put simply, ICM is the practice of deliberately moving your camera during a longer exposure.

In most genres of photography, there’s often an emphasis on freezing the moment in a sharp image. In ICM it’s the opposite, you embrace movement. By using a slow shutter speed —anywhere from 1/40s to several seconds— and intentionally moving the camera, you record the path of light over a scene rather than freezing the instant.

The results can look like impressionist paintings or abstract art. A forest of trees becomes a series of vertical, painterly strokes; a seascape dissolves into soft, horizontal bands of colour; a field of grass in the wind may transform into a wave of green or gold.

I think the beauty of this technique is its accessibility because you don't need expensive gear. You only need a camera that allows you to control shutter speed (even many smartphones can do this with apps) and a willingness to experiment.

From Reflections to Landscapes: The Hebridean Trace

While the instinct was always there and I used the technique here and there, this practice truly deepened during a solo journey that gave birth to The Hebridean Trace.

I travelled on a scooter from Spain to the Isle of Skye and the Outer Hebrides in Scotland, spending late autumn and winter immersed in one of the most dramatic and emotionally powerful places I've ever experienced. The weather was relentless, the light shifted by the minute, and the landscape felt immense.

In such a dynamic environment, trying to only freeze a moment felt incomplete. I tapped into that instinct and found myself using longer exposures and intuitive camera movements more often than not, letting the wind and tide and shifting light write themselves onto the sensor. My gesture became the brushstroke on a canvas, and the resulting images were no longer just pictures of a place, they were a trace of the sensation it awakened in me.

Try it yourself: two simple exercises to start

The best way to understand ICM is to try it. Here are two simple exercises you can do today, even in a local park.

1. The Vertical Sweep

Timing: Go out in the morning, evening, or on a cloudy day when the light is soft.

Subject: Find a subject with vertical lines, like a line of trees or a lone one.

Settings: Set your camera to Shutter Priority mode (look for the S on your mode dial, or 'Tv' if you use Canon). Set your shutter speed to 1 second. (If it’s too bright, try faster speeds like 1/2s, 1/20s or 1/40s).

Action: Frame your shot and press the shutter button while you are moving. Try moving the camera straight up or straight down during the exposure.

Review the image. Did the trees stretch into lines in a colourful abstract image? Or does it look a bit messy? Both are part of the process. The goal is to begin seeing the world in terms of shapes, light, and movement.

 2. The Horizontal Pan

Try it again, this time moving the camera horizontally. Find a subject with a clear horizon, as this increases the chances of your first image being surprisingly pleasing. Too many things in the foreground may make it look a bit too disorganised.

Best locations: The sea is the easiest place for this. If the coast is far, try an open park, a meadow, a lake, or distant hills.

Note: You can really try this anywhere, but getting results you are happy with in complex foregrounds might take a few more attempts.

Be Playful and enjoy the process

Some people may say that the line between "artistic blur" and "accidental shake" is very thin and beginners often struggle with exposures that are too bright or movements that look too chaotic. I started there too.

Some people may even dare to tell you dismissively that anyone can take a blurry photo, that there’s nothing special about it. I’ve heard that one before too.

I think that judgement is partly true but not in the way they mean it. Anyone can create beautiful abstract or impressionist images once they’ve learnt and experimented with the basics. And that process is special. The experience of making it IS special. Because it’s about going out there, breathing in the place, and creating.

Whatever it is, however you feel, create. Create for the sake of it. Create for the joy of doing it, of feeding your creativity and restoring a sense of wellbeing as you spend more time in nature without distractions. Even if it’s just with a tree in your local park.

In many ways, we always remain beginners. This is not a technique you "master" and that’s it. I think it is the often-serendipitous nature of this way of capturing light that keeps me curious, open to chance, to how I can bring the experience of previous images into new landscapes, different light conditions, moods, and sensations. It is a constant practice of being present, and finding beauty is simply a consequence.

Want to go deeper? Your Free ICM Guide

This blog post is just a small introduction to ICM photography and my way of experiencing it. If you feel a pull toward this intuitive way of creating, you can download A Beginner’s Guide to Intentional Camera Movement for free, where you’ll find techniques, example photos, and tips that I hope inspires you to go out more and create.

Inside, you’ll find:

— 28 diverse example photos with exact camera settings.

—   The Basic Gear you need.

—   Understanding Shutter Speed in ICM, and how to use ND filters to shoot in any light.

—   Core ICM Techniques. Also with example images with exact camera settings for each technique so you can see what each can do.

—   Exercise suggestions: try different scenarios and techniques, train your eye and build confidence.

Why join? Besides receiving the guide, you’ll be the first to know when I announce upcoming in-person workshops and group trips. If you’ve ever wanted to explore landscapes like the Hebrides or the Scottish Highlands while refining your craft with likeminded people, this is the best way to stay in the loop.

In the meantime, feel free to explore my photos of Scotland and beyond, as well as my ICM collections of Fluid Landscapes and The Hebridean Trace. See where this path can lead, and let the images inspire your own experiments.

The world is full of magic and beauty. All you have to do is feel, move, and see what you create.