Experimental photography lets you change how a photograph looks by playing with movement, light, focus, or editing. These 10 techniques turn familiar subjects into blurred colors, layered scenes, and distorted shapes. You can try several at home with the camera you already have.
In this article, I’ll focus on digital photography rather than film-based photography. Start with camera movement or deliberate blur if you don’t want to buy anything. Light painting needs a light source and a tripod; projection needs a projector. The editing examples use Photoshop on desktop.
What Is Experimental Photography?
Experimental photography comes from using your camera or post-processing in a non-traditional way. It’s about taking your photographs beyond the norm to create unique art pieces. You might record a scene as streaks of color, photograph through textured glass, or combine pictures that could never exist in one exposure.
The experiment works best when you choose something to change. Photograph the same subject with three different camera movements, or blend the same two images in different ways. Keep the versions that express the mood you want. An unexpected result can become the starting point for your next photo.
© Jenn Mishra
1. Intentional Motion Blur
Intentional motion blur, often called intentional camera movement, means moving the camera during an exposure to blur the scene. Set a long shutter speed (about half a second is a starting point), then move the camera while the shutter is open. Try a smooth sideways sweep, an upward movement, or a small rotation.
Keep hold of the camera and use its strap. Start with a subject that has strong lines or contrasting colors. Repeat the shot with a faster or slower movement, then compare how much of the subject you can still recognize.
A zoom lens gives you another way to make zoom blurs. Keep the camera still and turn the zoom ring smoothly while the shutter is open. Try zooming in for one exposure and out for another. Bright lights against a dark background make the streaks easy to see; a neutral density filter can help you use a long exposure in daylight.
2. Light Painting
Light painting uses a moving light source, such as a flashlight, during a long exposure. Point the light toward the camera to draw trails, or move it across an object to illuminate parts of the scene. Start in a dark room or outdoors after dark.
Mount your camera on a tripod. Focus on the subject before you turn the room lights off, then switch to manual focus so the camera does not refocus during the shot. Try 30 seconds at f/8 and ISO 400 as a starting point. While the shutter is open, move the light through your chosen pattern.
Review the picture after each attempt. If the trails are too bright, try a smaller aperture, such as f/11. If the scene is too dark, illuminate the subject for longer. Change one thing at a time so you can see what worked.
Incorporate light painting into a portrait for a dynamic background. Ask the person to stay still and briefly light them as well as the background. Use a flashlight or LED for your first experiments. Burning steel wool, as shown below, throws hot sparks and needs a separate fire-safety setup; it is not a beginner substitute for a flashlight.
In the photo below, a friend of mine spun burning steel wool with a cooking whisk held by about a half-meter of string. They started walking from the far end of the bridge towards the camera.
20 seconds at f/11, ISO 320. © Jorge Restrepo
3. Soft Focus
Photographers spend a lot of time trying to get photos in focus. But an out-of-focus image can capture a mood or shape without all the small details. Here, the experiment is deliberate defocus: turning the focus ring until the subject becomes soft. Think of the impression of color in Monet’s water lilies.
A wide aperture, such as f/2.8, can help produce blurred highlights, but aperture alone does not put the whole image out of focus. With impressionistic focus, there’s no need to keep any part of the scene sharp. Watch the shapes as you turn the focus ring and stop when they form a composition you like.
Set your camera on manual focus and experiment with blur. This Christmas tree was much more interesting with its lights out of focus. The in-focus version showed details like the wires connecting the lights. The blurred version is much more subtle.
4. Projected Image
Projecting light, shapes, and colors onto a surface adds patterns to your image during the shoot. The surface can be a backdrop, an object, or a person. Start with large shapes or stripes, then move the projector or subject to change where the pattern falls.
Using a projection technique can create experimental and even abstract portrait photography. Photographer Eric Burke uses projectors to cast shapes and textures onto his models, which creates photographic body art.
Two projectors were used to create the image below. One projected onto the background and the other on the model. The model’s face was wrapped in a piece of fabric that captured the details of the projection.
© Eric Burke
5. Alternative Filters
Filters can be much more than neutral density or polarizing filters. Try photographing through clingfilm, sheer fabric, or a transparent surface such as an old window with warped glass. Hold loose materials in front of the lens without touching the glass or blocking its controls.
Photographing through alternative filters changes how light reaches the lens. Move the material nearer to or farther from the camera and compare the results. You can also create unique bokeh effects by cutting a shape in an index card and holding it in front of the lens while photographing out-of-focus lights.
Look around the house and see what you have to play with. Make one photo without your improvised filter, then another with it. Some effects will suit the subject and others won’t. Keep the comparison so you can see what the material added.
Lensbaby makes a series of lenses with unique effects if you want to pursue these types of looks further. I photographed this model through a glass door. The reflections create a hazy filter.
1/160 s, f/4.0, ISO 5000. © Jenn Mishra
6. Double Exposure
Double exposure combines two exposures in one image. You can layer a landscape over a close-up of an animal or flower, or a cityscape over a portrait. Choose one picture for the main shape and another for texture or a second part of the story.
On film, the effect comes from exposing the same frame twice. For a digital version, you can combine two photographs as layers after the shoot. This lets you adjust how strongly each picture appears.
I use Photoshop for the layered version. Put the two photographs in one document on separate layers, then select the upper layer. Lower its opacity so the picture beneath begins to show through.
Then I try different blend modes to merge the photos. Compare the result with a simple opacity blend before adding more adjustments. In the image below, I layered two photos of the same staircase taken from different angles.
My settings for both photos were 1/30 s, f/4, and ISO 200.
7. Mirroring
Mirroring is copying and flipping an image in Photoshop to create a reflection. Duplicate the image onto a separate layer so you can move and adjust the reflected copy independently.
I use this technique to create reflections in the water that may not have existed in reality (but should have!). I copy the image in Photoshop and flip the copy vertically. To make the scene more realistic, I add ripple filters. You can also use the mirroring technique to create unique shapes.
Here is a photo of fireworks over the Gateway Arch with a reflection added in post-processing.
2 seconds, f/11, ISO 100. © Jenn Mishra
8. In-Camera Effects
Some digital cameras have built-in picture effects. On my Sony a7II, these include Toy Camera, Partial Color (a selective-color effect), and Posterization. They let you try different looks while shooting instead of building every effect afterward.
Some effects change the colors, while others add a painterly effect. Choose an effect, take a test photo, and review the saved image. Turn the effect off when you finish so it does not carry into your next shoot.
Check your camera’s manual for the effects and file formats it supports. On the a7II, Picture Effect is unavailable with RAW or RAW & JPEG, so use JPEG for this experiment. The grid below shows the original photo and five effect versions.
Original (top left). From left to right, the effects are posterization, retro, soft focus, miniature, and illustration.
9. Montage
Montages are photographic collages. Images, or parts of images, are layered together to create a new scene. You can blend the pieces into one view or leave their edges visible so the viewer can see how the picture was built.
Start with one photograph and copy a few selections onto separate layers in Photoshop. Move, rotate, or overlap the pieces, then adjust their opacity and blend modes. Repeated shapes, such as steps or windows, give you a pattern to rearrange.
I montaged this spiral staircase by layering slices using different Photoshop techniques. The repeated curves connect the pieces even when their edges no longer line up.
© Jenn Mishra
10. Photoshop Filters
Applying Photoshop filters can distort the shapes in a photograph or turn a familiar scene into an abstraction. Work on a duplicate layer so you can compare the result with the original. Here are two filters used in the examples below.
Polar Coordinates
The polar coordinates filter can turn an image into a circular design. Using the photo of the fireworks over the St. Louis Gateway Arch, I created a square crop in Photoshop. Then, I selected Filter > Distort > Polar Coordinates.
I played with both Rectangular to Polar and Polar to Rectangular choices. I also tried flipping my image upside-down. These options create different effects, so compare them on separate copies of the same photo. The example below shows the result with the Gateway Arch and fireworks.
© Jenn Mishra
Liquify
The Liquify filter in Photoshop lets you push, pull, twist, and reshape parts of an image. You can use it for subtle adjustments or exaggerated experimental portraits. I also use it to distort subjects other than faces.
Select the layer you want to change, then choose Filter > Liquify. Start with a small change and compare the preview with the original. Large distortions can quickly change the whole structure of the picture.
If you don’t use Photoshop, explore the filters in your current editor. Adobe Express also has a free plan with photo filters, though that is a different starting point from the Photoshop Liquify example here. In this before-and-after photo of railway bridge supports, the bottom image shows the distortions I made with Liquify.
© Jenn Mishra
Conclusion: Experimental Photography
These 10 techniques give you starting points for creative photography ideas. Pick one subject and one method for your next session. Make a few versions, compare them, and keep notes about the movement, light, focus, or editing choice that changed the picture.
You can later explore other equipment, including pinhole, toy, or infrared cameras. If you work with film, try alternative film processing techniques such as push and pull processing.
You don’t need to try every effect at once. Return to a favorite subject, change one part of the process, and see what happens. Use your camera and post-processing tools creatively, and let the result suggest the next experiment.
