Project 52 - Week 23: Movement

I did quite a bit of reading this week on movement, and I am not sure all of my questions were answered.  So let me start by giving us a baseline.

THIS IS NOT MOVEMENT.

I am pretty sure Moe was a sloth in another life.  Yes, it is ironic that his shirt says "Burning Up Tracks."

Now that we have our baseline, let's proceed.

If we are going to seek out movement in its purest form, doesn't that mean we cannot "stop" the motion?  Or is it the IDEA of movement that we are trying to convey when we take a photo of a subject in motion?  Should we be setting our camera shutter speed so low that it captures the 27 different gymnastics a dog will perform when leaping for a ball?  Or is it better to pick one of those 27 movements and capture it?  See what I mean about my questions?

I read and read and read and read. What I finally think I discovered is, it's really up to you how you want to convey movement.  If we want to touch the "idea" of movement, we can do that with a stationary subject if something around them is moving.  The easiest way to showcase this is with water.

This pup looks like he is standing still, but he is really swimming slowly and drinking water at the same time.  (I am pretty sure I could not do these two things at once.)  The ripples around him can create the "idea" of movement.  On the other hand, the photo below of the same pup on the same day, is pure movement.  Motion blur and all.

You can also convey the idea of movement by the activity being performed at the time of the picture being taken.  For instance, below our dog, Burton, is trotting across the yard with the ball in his mouth.  I have stopped the action, but the activity still suggests movement.

Whatever your take on "movement" have fun with it.  Don't be afraid of motion blur.  I just spent two days looking at wonderful photographs of moving subjects where only a few elements were in focus.  I think most of these photos were telling a true story.  Experiment with moving targets until you find the story you like.

For more interpretations of this week's theme, check out the blog circle, starting with Sandra McCarthy Photography of NH.  Enjoy your Friday and have a wonderful weekend!