4 Ways to Use Movement in your Photographs

As photographers, we are able to capture a moment and record in forever. Those moments are often still and frozen in time. By including an element of motion, we are able to create photographs which are more dynamic and full of storytelling.

Using a slow shutter speed, or long exposure, allows anything in your image that is moving to be shown as a blur. In the case of Soco Falls, seen above, I used a shutter speed of 4 seconds to completely blur the moving water, allowing it to appear fluid and silky, while the creek bed remains frozen in time.

In the image above, I chose a shutter speed that would allow the wings of the bird to show motion, while the body appears still. This offers the implication of motion, giving the viewer a sense of what is to come.

In this image of a breaking wave, a faster shutter speed has frozen the water, suspending the movement and leaving the viewer filled with anticipation as they know how this moment will end.

In the above image, I employed a technique called intentional camera movement. As the wave was beginning to break, I moved my camera from left to right using a slower shutter speed. This movement created the horizontal blur, while the slow shutter speed created the blurred movement of the breaking wave.

Using movement in your photographs is a wonderful way to take your images to the next level and begin to challenge yourself to think more creatively.