Open the camera shutter and sweep the scene
to create abstract effects
‘In the right conditions, the results
will produce a painterly fine-art effect’
Get the Green Abstract Lights stock photo
The landscape genre is popular with many
photographers for various reasons. For some, venturing into the outdoors is an
excuse to unwind and escape from everyday stresses, whereas for others it’s
about connecting to nature and capturing the beauty of the land. Whatever the
reason, next time you’re out and about with your camera take an abstract
approach to the landscape genre, and be pleasantly surprised by the results.
Camera dragging refers to a photographic
technique, which involves opening the shutter and panning (or dragging) the
camera up, down or across the scene. If approached correctly, in the right
conditions, the results will produce a painterly fine-art effect. How you move
the camera and at what speed will have an effect on the outcome too.
‘Push the creative element and explore
alternative shots’
Dreamland
Beach in Bali
The best place to start with this technique
is to consider location. There are many places that will work, but none are
better than the beach. The coloured layers of sand, sea and sky teamed with
landmarks and jagged rocks blend pleasingly together in an image. Wooded areas
also produce effective results, as you can pan the camera up and down the
vertical trunks of the trees. You should also consider other natural locations
such as mountains, hillsides and rivers, or if you prefer to shoot in a
man-made environment, then bright city lights provide you with an interesting
subject. Alternatively, if you want to create a home setup, then this is also
possible. Scarves in bold colours work particularly well and to get the best
results place a few in lines and pan the camera along the various textures and
colours. The great thing about this type of photography is that you can really
push the creative element and explore alternative surroundings and subjects.
In an outdoor location setting you need to
consider the time of day. Sunsets and sunrises produce intense colours and
you’ll find it easier to keep the shutter open for longer periods of time
without overexposing the shot. Daytime exposures also work well and produce
saturated results, particularly if you use a neutral density filter to help
lengthen your shutter speeds and minimise overexposure.
For this type of photography you need to
carefully consider how the composition and colours in the image will work
together. Look for complementary colours. For example, at the beach, the blue
sky against the orange/yellow sand will mix well together. In a wooded area,
the green trees will harmonise with red berries. You’re going to be moving your
camera into a space so think about the start and end positioning of your
camera.
There are technical aspects of your shoot
that you will need to think about too. Although you’re going to be blurring the
image, if you want to keep the blurred lines straight you should consider
setting your camera up on a tripod or monopod. Alternatively if you want the
image to have a more organic feel then ditch the tripod and experiment with
circular movements of your camera as you take your shot. This comes down to
personal preference. For beach and woodland scenes a tripod should be used, as
keeping the lines intact works best for these images.
How you move the camera will have an impact
on how the image is recorded. Think about whether you want the image to record
horizontal or vertical lines, and if you want them to appear smooth or broken.
If you want smooth strokes then you’ll need to move the camera slowly with an
even motion. If you want jagged and disjointed lines you need to change the
direction of drag half way through the shutter release. You can make this
easier by keeping the handles on your tripod unlocked.
When out in the field, set your camera to
the manual mode and ensure images are recorded in RAW. This will give you the
best chance to recover image data at the editing stage if you have overexposed
your shot. To capture the best results, keep the shutter speed between 1/6sec
and three seconds. Keep the ISO low and set the camera to a narrow aperture.
The last thing to remember is to be
experimental and creative with your photography – think of yourself as a
painter of light. Research great painters such as the landscape work of Turner
and the abstract colours of Rothko to see how they use and mix colours in their
palette. Adapt this painterly way of working to your camera and photography and
see what you can achieve.
