When it’s soggy outside, shoot in a gallery or a museum. I gave this advice numerous times on this blog in quite a few posts. When spending a weekend in Portland last month, I once more escaped from torrential rain outside (the Oregonians call it the “Oregon Liquid Sunshine” for a reason) into the Portland Art Museum with the intention to capture some Art n’ Motion.
In order to capture some Art n’ Motion (fancy slug, isn’t it?), I dialed in some very slow shutter speeds on my E-M1. Then it was a matter of looking for good compositions and to include some moving visitors. I really like those little assignments I give myself, because this gets my creative juices flowing. Those teenage girls obviously had lot’s of fun observing my attempts, before they turned into subjects themselves.
This last photograph probably falls under the category “my photos only need to please only me”. While totally blurred, I still like its almost polaroid like style (though out is just the door frame), the lines, the depth, the visible motion. I could stare at it for a long time. Zen-porn, I guess, a wabi-sabi imperfect but somehow harmonic image.
All shots were taken with my Olympus OM-D E-M1 with the Olympus m.Zuiko 12-100mm f/4.0 Pro zoom.
Post-processing was done in Adobe Lightroom Classic CC.
If you are looking for more tips and inspirations around photography, check out my free Learning Center.
Wish you a great Thursday!
Marcus
Related Links:
Little woes of a traveling photographer
StoNur on the Road – Porsche Museum
hello thanks for sharing! if you have a chance i would really appreciate it if you would check out my music n art blog itd mean a lot! https://thehighsnlows.com, thanks.
Thanks for the follow, Lorraine, will check out your blog! Marcus
Another fantastic set!
Thanks, Liz, as always so much appreciated! Marcus
Great photos! I love it when the museum lets you take photos in the space! 🙂
Thanks for follow and comment! Typically, as long as you don’t use flash, there is no issue doing photography in a museum. Marcus
Actually that was not the case in New York – no cameras allowed even without flash!
Wow, at least the the Natural History Museum and the 9/11 memorial no one objected.
We were at the MOMA 😊
Amazing – I love each and every single shot of your art n’ motion. Art in motion would have been a proper title, too. 😉
Thanks for your kind words, highly appreciate. And you’re right about the title 🙂 ! Marcus
I agree blurry pictures have an artsy feel to it.
Thanks, Arv, much appreciated! Marcus
🙂
Wow!Here i am always letting people delete my blurred photos.I love these photos so much.I am following your motto now,”my photos only need to please me”.Thanks Marcus.I totally love your work♡
Thanks for your very kind words, Sau, I’m glad you like the blurred photos. Following the motto “my photos only need to please me” brings out so much creativity. I always compare it to children’s play, as they also experiment a lot, whether it makes sense or not. And they are genuinely happy when they create something that pleases themselves. Marcus
True true…you are wise
Great series Marcus! This is the second time I’ve heard the term wabi-sabi this week! I think it’s great when our photos please ourselves… but I like that one too 😉
Thanks, Amy, so much appreciated! Wabi-sabi is a very interesting philosophy that can be applied to photography as well. There is an awesome little book on it: “Wabi-Sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers” by Leonard Koren. I need to do a post about it! Happy weekend! Marcus
The last one, in my eyes, is an image that invites me to remain, to move into silence, to ponder, to imagine…could this be the definition of art?
Love your kind words, Brenda 🙂 ! Happy weekend! Marcus
Not too much of a fan of blurred photographs.. but they do have it’s place..;-)
Thanks, Lisa, much appreciated! Marcus
The juxtaposition between works that curators determine are worth hanging in a museum and the people viewing (and sometimes not) I find fascinating. Well done Marcus.
Thanks, Tim, this coming from you means a lot! Marcus
Shots are superb.
Thanks, so very much appreciated! Marcus
You are welcome, Sir.
You are welcome, Marcus.
I enjoy blur in photos, Marcus–they seem so full of life that way.
Thanks, Lois, glad you like them! Marcus
I like the blur in the last photograph. The composition is right on for me, the way the person lines up with the edge of the lighter space as if accentuating the multi dimensions of the image. The blur is inspiring to me and a reminder of how the only limits to photogrpaphy are the ones my mind creates… the box has no walls!
Thank you so much for your wonderful words, they mean so much and capture how I feel when doing photography! Marcus
Amazing, as always. Reminding me of a special time shared.
Think about it so often! Hope you are doing well! Hugs! Marcus
Special memories. Will catch up with you next week. Have a safe trip but first enjoy your weekend. Hugs
Thanks, have a fab Sunday and talk to you next week! Marcus
I like the blur too Marcus, I find that occasionally I make a photo with blur that’s actually nice looking. It seems to depend on many factors coming together at once if that makes sense. 😎
That makes totally sense, John, really appreciate your comment! Marcus
I like them all, and I appreciate the way you’ve shown different ways to make intentional blur work – it works when everything is blurred a little, it works when the paintings are in focus but the people are blurred, etc. The second photo in particular seems to put it all together – museum, people, composition, monochrome – so well. Cheers Marcus!
Thanks so much, highly appreciated! I love the second photo as well, would have been my title image, but to the the blog format I decided on a portrait format 😉 ! Wish you a nice weekend! Marcus
Nice shots, Marcus.
I hope the “kids” get the reference to a polaroid.
An interesting shot.
Thanks, Allan, much appreciated! With the Instax cams at least there is sort of Polaroid in the “young world” 😉