Motion Pictures

A big trend in photography this year has been moving photographs. Wait, isn’t a moving photograph just a video? Technically yes, however, photographer Jamie Beck and motion designer Kevin Burg teamed up to create a new little technique that combines stills and motion into one neat little package. I first came across the moving photograph on Gilt Taste (click on the categories) and naturally had a double take. Did that cheese wrapper really just flutter? The basic idea is to take a still photograph and have a small part of the image move in a subtle way. If I was in advertising, I’d be jumping at the opportunity to put this new technique to work before everybody’s doing it.

©Photojojo

So, Shoot From the Hipster, how exactly does it work?

Patience, grasshopper. I am here to tell you.

The secret is in the GIF. A GIF is a file format that supports animation (think of all those online ads that flip). The “cinemagraphs” just involve a lot more frames to make the transition smooth and subtle. Think in layers. A still photograph is the top layer, with key areas cut out so the video underneath peeks through. It’s almost so simple that tons of graphics folks out there are having one of those little “doh!” moments and asking themselves: Why didn’t I think of that? The answer to that question is that video people think in motion, photographers think in stills. Score one for teamwork.

The best part about the cinemagraph is that anyone with Photoshop and a camera that takes video can do it. Photojojo has a great step-by-step guide on making your own.

So are cinemagraphs just a passing fad or here to stay? As always, it’s hard to tell. This is an advertising gold mine at the moment (think of the prospect of getting an audience to double take your ad), but overuse will ultimately result in everyone ignoring the ads, subtle motion or not, like they do today. If it remains cost-effective, they will stick around regardless. Personally, I’m waiting for the first art show of shifting photographs, or a room full of images playing dodge ball with each other.