What Is Kinetic Photography?: Photography Basics Explained

Last Updated on Mar 08 2024

Photography is generally fun and exciting, and various photography branches stand out. One of the most intriguing types of photography is kinetic photography; it represents any photograph that results from motion. It’s an experimental photography technique, so there are no precise rules, which makes it even more attractive to photographers worldwide.

Today, we’ll discuss kinetic photography, how it works, and the good and bad sides of this photography technique.

How Does It Work?

Kinetic photography is an experimental photography method in which the person taking a photograph uses movement combined with physics to make the photograph. Typically, the artist doesn’t hold the camera. Instead, the artist allows the camera to react with gravity and physical forces to make the photo.

While there are no precise rules for this technique, people typically make these motions to create the images:

Since movement is essential to make this technique work, the photographs commonly turn out abstract, blurred, and can look random at times. The patterns you capture will typically resemble kaleidoscopes and geometrical designs.

What Are the Different Types of Kinetic Photography?

While there are no general definitions of the types of kinetic photography, we can divide them into conservative and extreme kinetic photography. This division is based on the way the photographer captures the kinetic photo.

Conservative Kinetic Photography

Kinetic photography is never completely safe as it involves camera movements that could possibly break your camera. However, this is the safer way of trying out the kinetic photography technique, as it’s less risky.

This is the safest form of kinetic photography, allowing you to take some stunning shots while keeping your camera safe. It’s all about being playful, fun, and stepping out of your comfort zone.

You could also attach your camera to a tripod, shaking or moving it towards your subject. That way, the camera will remain intact as its connection with the tripod is stable.

 Extreme Kinetic Photography

If conservative kinetic photography sounds scary, you can imagine how it feels to make extreme kinetic photography shots. Extreme kinetic photography is much more adventurous as it requires you to toss your camera in the air.

Because of that, many people refer to this kinetic photography type as camera tossing. To perform this type of photography, you should have excellent hand-to-eye coordination and good catching skills to avoid your camera falling and breaking into pieces.

To obtain the best results, you should toss your camera in various directions, achieving exciting photographs.

Advantages of Kinetic Photography

What makes kinetic photography so appealing is that there are no set rules that allow you to create them. That means you can use your imagination to create out-of-this-world photographs.

This is really a special branch of photography, and you should try it out if you get a chance.

Disadvantages of Kinetic Photography

While fun, kinetic photography is not everyone’s cup of tea. Typically, people need to be open-minded and carefree to get involved in this technique, as it can be risky.

Advice for Taking Kinetic Photographs

Although there are no strict rules to kinetic photography, you should know a few things that will allow you to make better kinetic photos and make the whole photography process safer.

Achieve Proper Lighting

When taking kinetic photographs, lighting plays a vital role in the quality of your shots and the final effect you will achieve. It’s advisable for the area to be somewhat dark, and you can try using different light sources to see what works best for you.

It might be best to start with a single light source while increasing it over time as you become more comfortable. You can gradually add more light sources and change the setup to achieve the results you’re aiming for.

Use an Inexpensive Camera

Even when practicing safe kinetic photography, there’s still a possibility of a mishap, and you could break your camera. Because of that, you should use an inexpensive camera for kinetic photographs.

Of course, you could use your regular camera, but if it’s pricey, it’s not worth risking it as your equipment could suffer real damage. You can achieve excellent kinetic photos with more affordable gear, which is always better.

Soft Landing Spot

Even when using an older or inexpensive camera to take your kinetic shots, you should still prep and make a soft-landing spot to prevent your camera from breaking. You can stand near a couch or cushion for your first photos or place a pillow at the landing spot.

If outdoors, look for areas with grass or anything similar that would soften the fall. Your camera will remain in much better shape if it falls on a soft spot instead of falling on a hard surface.

Practice Patience

Although you may get good shots during your first attempts, kinetic photography takes practice and patience. You’ll need to invest time and experiment until you learn more about this photography technique and its advanced methods.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Why Is Movement Important in Kinetic Photography?

Kinetic photography relies on movement in combination with light to provide you with unique, abstract shots. Movement is essential to gain the geometrical, funky feel of kinetic photographs.

The movement in abstract photographs allows the photo to tell a story and have its form and shape, which are crucial for fun and exciting kinetic photos.

Final Thoughts

Kinetic photography is not for everyone. However, only those who decide to engage in the technique will get to experience all the benefits it brings. If you like challenges and are not afraid to step out of the box, you should definitely try out kinetic photography.

Featured Image Credit: Camera Toss 2 (Thomas Quine, via Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 2.0)