Abstract Times Square

In most cases when you take a picture, you want to hold the camera as still as possible.  To ensure that you get a sharp photo, you might even use a tripod.  But as I indicate in my 12-24-11 post (Abstract Photography - Part 1), there are times when you don't want everything to be sharp and in focus.

To keep things from being in focus, photographers will often employ one of a number of different techniques that involve moving the camera while the photo is being taken.  These techniques include kinetic photography, camera tossing and a new one I just recently heard about called intentional camera movement photography.  Regardless of the method used, they all seem to achieve essentially the same result.

The photos above were all taken in Times Square.  As a matter of fact, they were all taken from exactly the same vantage point.  The only real difference was how the motion of the camera was manipulated during each exposure.

For each of these photos, the camera shutter was held open for 1/3 of a second.  Normally when you take pictures, you won't keep the shutter open for more than 1/60 of a second.  When I shoot basketball as an example, I try never to shoot any "slower" than 1/640 of a second.  If the court is bright enough, I'd actually prefer to shoot at 1/1000 of a second.