Purpose: Motion is a major confound of image quality in MRI. A method of retrospectively correcting the effects of rotations and translations on the acquired k -space data is presented. Methods: In two phantom experiments of well-controlled translation and rotation, two MRI-compatible infrared cameras recorded motion data that were used subsequently to correct the position and phase of recorded k -space samples. Motion data can be acquired with a temporal resolution of 60 Hz and spatial accuracy of 0.1 mm for translations and 0.2° for rotations. Results: Significant improvements of image quality are demonstrated. Conclusions: The key advantages of the technique are that it is easy to implement, does not interfere with or complicate MR data acquisition, and is capable of correcting distortions within a single slice. Therefore, the technique has the potential to improve upon approaches that rely on the registration or realignment of successive imaging slices.