© Sharon Brown Christopher

2013 was a year in which I experimented with movement in my photographs- not the kind caused by  shaky hands, neglect of tripod, or incorrect shutter speed settings. Rather, I played with intentional, deliberate movement. The kind that adds mystery, flow, and dynamism. The kind that reflects the change that is all around us. Specifically, I allowed the subject matter to move. And sometimes, I moved with intention the camera itself.

               © Sharon Brown Christopher                        © Sharon Brown Christopher

When I looked  through my camera viewfinder, I saw dancing fern and wheat, thanks to the wind. It was the dance I wanted to share with others.

© Sharon Brown Christopher

From every conceivable angle, I took at least fifty shots of the dilapidated sharecropper’s shack above. I was still unsatisfied. As I studied the shack window one more time, I realized it was the flapping curtains that attracted my interest. I slowed down the shutter speed,  got the movement blur of the curtain in my image, and smiled. I named the image “The Visitation,” for indeed the wind (or spirit) had visited that place that day.

In the image at the top of the page I created a sense of movement through using the multiple-exposure setting. I moved the camera between each exposure to get the result above.

With the image below, shot at the Bruce Munro exhibit at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens, I used both the movement of the subject matter and camera movement. As the multicolored lights flickered on and off, I swirled my camera and lens while it rested within the lens ring attached to my tripod with shutter open, getting an almost mandala affect.

© Sharon Brown Christopher

I must admit I’m hooked. More movement is yet to come.

Contributed by Sharon Brown Christopher