The Forest in Layers
My exploration of intentional camera movement continues, and this time the forest became my playground.
I ventured deeper into the woods, searching for different scenes to see how various subjects would influence the final image. Some photographs worked surprisingly well, while others failed completely. What fascinates me most is that it's almost impossible to predict the outcome while standing there with the camera. Images that feel unremarkable in the field sometimes become my favourites once I see them on the computer, while others lose their magic entirely.
Interestingly, I'm not using the traditional ICM technique of moving the camera during a single exposure.
Instead, I was inspired by a photographer who demonstrated an alternative approach on YouTube. Rather than creating motion in one frame, he photographed the same subject repeatedly, making only the slightest adjustment between each exposure. The images were then blended together in Photoshop, creating a single photograph built from dozens of individual moments. I think the technical term for this process is multiple exposure photography.
To make the movements as precise as possible, I even invested in a new piece of equipment: a 3-way geared tripod head. It allows for tiny, controlled adjustments between exposures, exactly what this technique demands.
Whether this style will become a permanent part of my photography, I honestly don't know.
But there's something refreshing about stepping outside my comfort zone. It encourages me to explore familiar forests with fresh eyes, looking less for spectacular landscapes and more for rhythm, texture and subtle changes in light. Sometimes that's enough to make a well-known place feel completely new again.
And every now and then, nature reminds me that not every photograph needs to become abstract.
Among all the experiments, one scene stopped me in my tracks: a solitary young tree illuminated between dark pine trunks. It was simply too beautiful to blur. Some moments deserve to remain exactly as they are.
