Softening the Moment

Exploring Intentional Focus Movement

From the earliest years of photography, many of us were taught to pursue one thing above all else: sharpness. The clearer the details, the truer the photograph: or so it seemed. Over time, improved lenses, advanced autofocus systems, and ever-increasing sensor resolution have helped us achieve razor-sharp results with remarkable ease.

But as the medium matured, so too did our understanding of its purpose. Photography is not only a way to record the world as it appears: it is also a way to express how the world feels. And in the realm of emotional expression, the sharpest image is not always the most truthful.

Sometimes, a gentle softness says more. A suggestion of movement, a fading of edges, a dissolving of form: these can evoke memory, atmosphere and poetry. Art has never been about perfect accuracy; it has always been about conveying something that lives deeper than the visible layer. And this is why the question “Is this photograph good?” is rarely answered instantly. It takes time to understand the intention, and what the image is trying to share.

A Different Kind of Movement

Many photographers are familiar with Intentional Camera Movement (ICM): moving the camera during a long exposure to create flowing and painterly abstraction. ICM invites freedom, looseness and interpretation.

Recently, I have been exploring another approach that shares the same spirit, but works in a more subtle way: Intentional Focus Movement

Instead of moving the camera, the camera remains still: typically on a tripod. What moves is the focus ring. During a long exposure, the plane of focus slowly shifts, allowing the subject to gradually soften, glow and transform.

It is important to note that this technique uses the focus ring, not the zoom ring. Where ICM paints motion across the frame, intentional focus movement creates a change in clarity over time, almost like watching a memory slowly surface or fade.

Nightfest at Floriade, Canberra

I began experimenting with this approach during the Nightfest event at Floriade in Canberra in early October. The flower beds were illuminated with constantly shifting colours: warm, cool, bright, and dim, changing rhythmically across the scene. It was a beautiful environment for long-exposure experimentation.

My Setup

• Tripod
• 100–400mm lens
• Exposure: ~10 seconds
• Aperture: f/5.6
• ISO: Auto
• ND filter to extend exposure duration

For each exposure, I started with the flowers perfectly in focus for the first one to two seconds. Then, very slowly, I began to turn the focus ring, either toward the near distance or toward infinity, continuing the movement until the exposure finished. The result was a soft, dream-like rendering: a moment that begins in clarity and then drifts into a wash of colour and gentle abstraction.

The Beauty of Uncertainty

Because the lighting was continuously changing, there was no fixed timing or formula to follow. The process became instinctive: almost musical. I watched how the colour and brightness rose and faded across the petals, and responded by shifting the focus ring when the moment felt right.

Sometimes, I began the focus shift early, letting the scene fully dissolve into softness. Other times, I allowed the flowers to remain defined for a few seconds longer before easing them into a gentle haze. There is no measurement for this: only sensation.

It becomes a quiet dialogue:

• You watch the light,
• You sense when the moment turns,
• And your hand responds.

To find the image that truly resonates, I often make 10–20 exposures in the same spot. Yet this never feels repetitive. Each frame is shaped by a different moment of light. The photograph is not simply taken: it is discovered.

Flare, Pure Gold, Blaze and Magenta, Cream, from Tulip Fields.

Closing Reflection

Intentional focus movement does not replace sharpness or technique. Instead, it adds another tool to our expressive vocabulary. It allows us to render not just what we see, but what we feel: the atmosphere of a moment, the softness of a memory and the gentle fading of time.