--- description: As 2014 draws to a close, we take a look back at the photographic trends that defined 2014 title: How Photographers Are Moving From Stills to Motion image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [LightBox](/tag/time-section-lightbox/) ## LightBox Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Ways of Seeing: From Stills to Motion by [Phil Bicker](/author/phil-bicker/) ## Phil Bicker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 2, 2015 9:00 AM CUT by [Phil Bicker](/author/phil-bicker/) ## Phil Bicker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 2, 2015 9:00 AM CUT _Whether through digital channels, print or on exhibit, the impact, influence and reach of the still image has never been greater. But with so many images fighting for our attention, how do photographers make work that most effectively stands out and connects with an audience. In this seven-part series, TIME looks back over the past 12 months to identify some of the ways of seeing—whether conceptually, aesthetically or through dissemination—that have grabbed our attention and been influential in maintaining photography’s relevance in an ever shifting environment, media landscape, and culture now ruled by images._ **From Stills to Motion** The moving image has become a defacto aspect of today’s photography landscape, with B-roll, behind-the-scenes videos of photo shoots and requests for photographers to shoot video as well as stills. But this year some photographers found a way to preserve the conceit of the still image while extending its form to video, in a poetic and absorbing manner by shooting slow motion video—at a thousand frames a second. Magnum’s [Jonas Bendiksen](http://www.jonasbendiksen.com/ "undefined") made short sequences of celebrating fans at the FIFA World Cup in Brazil and [Ross McDonnell](http://rossmcdonnell.com/ "undefined") created vignettes (effectively photos that came to life) amidst the fire and ice of the protests in Kiev, Ukraine. The images (see Bendiksen’s video above) have a mesmerizing quality extrapolating and magnifying the frozen incidental moment to a absorbing sequence. Elsewhere Gifs and memes evolved to the more subtle, and sophisticated Cinemagraph to bring the still photo to life in other ways and Instagram embraced the short form video amongst its square format photo stream. But one of the simplest and most effective of executions of still photography to video was realized on [The New York _Times_‘ website coverage of the Indian elections](http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/05/15/world/asia/india-election.html?%5Fr=0 "undefined") which utilized seven-second clips by Daniel Berehulak shot with a locked off camera of people moving through the frame to bring the photo to life. ### Drone Country: See America From Above  House boats appear next to the shoreline of Bidwell Canyon on Lake Oroville in Northern California on November 25, 2014\. Lake Oroville is California's second largest reservoir, and is currently 70% empty as a result of the state's severe drought. Tomas van Houtryve—VII  Campers appear in an RV park in Fernley, Nevada on November 25, 2014\. The nearby Amazon Fulfillment Center recruits people living out of RVs to work on the floor of their warehouse during peak holiday shipping season. Many of the campers are senior citizens whose homes or savings were wiped out by the 2008 economic crisis. Tomas van Houtryve—VII  A parking lot for an Amazon fulfillment center appears in New Jersey on November 11, 2014. Tomas van Houtryve—VII/Pulitzer Center  A residential apartment complex appears in Poughkeepsie, New York on November 9, 2014. Tomas van Houtryve—VII/Pulitzer Center  Vacation homes appear on the New Jersey Shore on November 11, 2014. Tomas van Houtryve—VII/Pulitzer Center  An empty drive-in movie theater appears in Poughkeepsie, New York on November 9, 2014. Tomas van Houtryve—VII/Pulitzer Center  A farm house and field appear outside Trenton, New Jersey on November 11, 2014. Tomas van Houtryve—VII/Pulitzer Center  Cows gather for water and alfalfa distributed by a rancher in a drought-devastated pasture in Merced County, California on November 26, 2014\. As with many areas of the Central Valley of California, these cows would not be able to survive without this kind of supplemental nutrition. Tomas van Houtryve—VII  A run-down neighborhood appears in North Camden, New Jersey on November 23, 2014\. In 2012, the FBI ranked Camden as having the most violent crime per capita of any American city with a population of over 50,000\. The local police installed millions of dollars of surveillance equipment in residential neighborhoods, including cameras and microphones that detect the exact location of gunshots. Tomas van Houtryve—VII  Horse stalls appear near Fernley, Nevada on November 24, 2014. Tomas van Houtryve—VII  A swamp appears near Brookfield, Connecticut on November 8, 2014. Tomas van Houtryve—VII/Pulitzer Center  Beachfront vacation units appear on Cape Cod, Massachusetts on Nov. 7, 2014. Tomas van Houtryve—VII/Pulitzer Center  The USS New Jersey, a decommissioned battleship, appears on the Delaware river off Camden, New Jersey on November 23, 2014. Tomas van Houtryve—VII  A college campus appears in Poughkeepsie, New York on November 9, 2014. Tomas van Houtryve—VII/Pulitzer Center  Lacrosse players warm up before practice in Clark County, Nevada on January 20, 2014\. The nearby Creech Air Force is the main command center for overseas drone strikes. Tomas van Houtryve—VII/Pulitzer Center  Wiggins Park Marina appears in Camden, New Jersey on November 23, 2014. Tomas van Houtryve—VII **Drones** Aerial photography has a rich history and holds an innate fascination—from Margaret Bourke White’s mid-twentieth century forays to the skies for LIFE magazine to more recent practitioners in the art of photography from the skies above, notably George Steinmetz and Edward Burtynsky, to the satellite imagery that maps our planet and images by astronaut photographers which shows our beautiful planet from space. This year, drones—which have been used for surveillance, in war zones and to cover public and sporting events—fully embraced their creative and journalistic potential. We saw drone videos proliferate online but one of the most effective creative uses of drones was done by photographer Tomas van Houtyre. His black-and-white drone photographs of America addressed issues of privacy, drought, inner city plight and farming. Van Houtyre’s _Blue Skies_ series became the longest photo essay to be published in Harper’s magazine, [while a new chapter was featured in TIME’s Futures Issue](http://time.com/3627980/drone-country-see-america-from-above/ "undefined"). A New York _Times_ story which utilized drones (amongst other technologies) to give a new perspective on baseball, and the first drone photography contest organized this year both suggest that this art has more potential. But whether the use of drones becomes a viable everyday option for photographers will depend on the government’s decision to legislate their use or not. [_Read Part 1 – Direct to Audience_](http://time.com/3625800/ways-of-seeing-photography-direct-to-audience/ "undefined"). [_Read Part 2 – Documentary Still Life_](http://time.com/3626384/ways-of-seeing-documentary-still-life/ "undefined")_._ [_Read Part 3 – The Portrait Series_](http://time.com/3626026/ways-of-seeing-portrait-series/ "undefined"). [_Read Part 4 – The Contemporary Photo Essay_](http://time.com/3626915/ways-of-seeing-the-contemporary-photo-essay/ "undefined"). **_Phil Bicker_** _is a Senior Photo Editor at TIME_ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3626640/ways-of-seeing-stills-and-motion/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3626640/ways-of-seeing-stills-and-motion/"},"headline":"Ways of Seeing: From Stills to Motion","datePublished":"2015-01-02T09:00:55.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:41:45.691Z","description":"As 2014 draws to a close, we take a look back at the photographic trends that defined 2014","url":"https://time.com/3626640/ways-of-seeing-stills-and-motion/","keywords":["LightBox","photography","Drones","Drone","New York Times","Behind the Photos","Ross McDonnell"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Phil Bicker","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/phil-bicker/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-lightbox/","name":"LightBox"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3626640/ways-of-seeing-stills-and-motion/","name":"Ways of Seeing: From Stills to Motion"}}]}] ```