Motion Blur Series

Motion blur, a way of capturing movement in a still image. This method of photography can create a sense of chaos, while also helping convey emotion in its natural form. Laughter, joy, sadness these are all things you can feel from a still image. Raw and unfiltered, this is where a story is created. 

INSPIRATION

When I first took on this project my only goal was to create a motion blur series. I knew I wanted to explore and push the boundaries of movement, but what would make these images a series? What would connect them together?

It took a lot of trial and error, but I finally came up with what elements I would use to connect all of my images to create a series. When I began taking photos I was trying to capture true moments of motion blur, which worked, but it didn’t give a dramatic enough effect to the photos. That is when I started to create blur with my subject moving along with my camera, this gave me an abstracted version of what I started with. This technique is what my series needed.

The first move was making all my images black and white. I took so many images with different backgrounds, lighting, and color and because of this there was no cohesive element that connected them, so shifting the photos to black and white was a easy option. The stark whites and blacks connected the pieces with contrast. Lastly, cropping all the images square seemed like the best way to keep the series cohesive and clean. I was influenced by the photographer Irving Penn and his classic portraits.

I finished this series in December of 2023 for a graduate photography course. It was the first photo series I’d ever created and I’m so thankful to my professor for pushing me to create this. I would have never had the opportunity to start this project without being prompted. Looking back at these images makes me so happy to see the progress I made and the experimentation I was able to create.

Can’t wait for my next series. Stay tuned!!!

FINAL 24 IMAGES