Presenting some of the most popular photography trends for 2023! Click on the link to get prepared for the future!
Photography is an art, something that gets better with practice. Although being good with your camera gives you the confidence to take mesmerizing photos, it does not warrant success. Try incorporating these trends for your upcoming wedding or engagement photo sessions! The only way to have fun and stellar photo shoot assignments is to keep up with changing photography trends.
Before we get into trends you can use for any kind of photography assignment, here are some trends specifically for weddings!
This trend is incredible for engagement and wedding photo shoot assignments but should be in your repertoire for any photoshoot. Still-life photography is a sub-genre with a unique flair. For the most part, this style focuses on everyday things, such as tables, champagne glasses, and more.
Mastering still-life photography will help you to add more vibrant details and depth to your photos and will be especially handy when you snap silhouettes! To master still life photography, start by practicing with the subjects that speak to you, getting the backdrop right, and tinkering with your camera’s settings.
Many couples today are looking for non-traditional wedding photos. They want more candid shots for their weddings and engagement photo shoots, capturing the whole event rather than just the leading players. Be prepared to take interesting getting-ready-together photos, photos before the ceremony, and pivotal moments throughout the ceremony and reception to please and impress your client.
Drone photography is gaining popularity for many reasons. One of the most notable is that it allows photographers to capture dramatic shots of the wedding venue, which your clients meticulously chose for their big day. Drone shots allow you to explore different angles beyond what you could achieve with traditional forms of photography. Drone photography and videography help you deliver better results for your clients. From aerial shots to panoramic shots, the opportunities are endless.
Trends in wedding photography are moving towards more dramatic and authentic photos, which brings us to “editorial-style” photography. Editorial-style photography has its roots in journalism and fashion photography and is characterized by precise storytelling. Couples are looking for photos that tell their stories, and photos they can print out or post on social media. Editorial style has become popular for avid social media users, and rightfully so. In that light, editorial-style photography for engagement and wedding photo shoots is not only trending now but will continue to grow.
Documentary-style photography, a similar trend to editorial-style photography, is gaining popularity and trending in 2023. This photography style gives your clients perfectly lit, romantic photos, bringing out an artsy quality from the surroundings. Want to adopt a documentary style when taking photos of your clients? Start by using the right lens, paying attention to the lightning, staying active, and mastering the art of telling a story with each shot.
Using props for wedding and engagement photo sessions has been around for a while. However, couples have recently started using more props during their photo sessions. As a photographer, it’s good practice to experiment with different props, including sparklers, smoke bombs, and paper lanterns, as they are standard props for weddings and engagement photo sessions.
Here are some fantastic photography trends that you can incorporate, adapt or add to your photography skills in 2023:
One of the best photo trends to use in 2022 and 2023 is silhouettes! Essentially, a silhouette in photography refers to the profile of your subject or subjects. The subject’s features aren’t visible and have a dark shape. You can also try using some colors to make your silhouette photography more interesting.
Another reason to incorporate silhouettes in your photo shoot assignments is that they will help you add mystery, drama, and emotion to your photos! Silhouette photography allows you to let the viewer use their imagination! You can use this technique to have successful photo shoot assignments, from portraits to group photos.
Photography is called art for a good reason, bringing us to photo color balance and color palettes. Apart from using colors freely available in your surroundings, you will need to understand how to set up the perfect photo shoot space. Although using blasts of colors to snap sharp and vibrant photos is not a new photography trend, it is becoming increasingly popular! What’s more, when it comes to photography trends, always remember that social media will have a role to play. Since modern-day social media is peppered with nature photography showcasing different colors of mountains, waterfalls, or skylines, it only makes sense to try incorporating this into your photography!
Although it may seem like a daunting task, it is pretty easy! If you want to add more stunning qualities to your photos, you should learn how to manipulate natural light and use the colors in nature. If you’re shooting indoors, choose a spot that allows you to change the color tonality of the photos you’ll take. For example, if your subjects are dressed in white, you can choose a spot that juxtaposes the color of the clothing!
Another way to master this trend for your photo shoot assignments is to pay attention to the space and the color combinations. For instance, choosing a spot for a photo shoot with abundant colors should be your first choice. You should continue to work and practice with natural light, color palettes, and landscape photography. These practices will help you improve your skills and control your output.
With the pandemic pushing everyone indoors, it is only natural to become a trend. Since 2022, as the world’s boundaries have opened up, masked photos are everywhere! From billboards to our Instagram feed, we see faces hidden with masks or people taking off their masks as someone snaps a picture. Making use of masks in your photo sessions is extremely easy! You can have your subject or subjects keep their masks on and take photos from different angles. Other than this, you can also merge the first two trends with this one!
Another photography trend that is expected to grow is “extracting” photos from a video! The reason why this trend is gaining popularity is that it gives you freedom and access to the complete scene instead of a few shots! Obviously, you will need to record footage, which at least has 30 to 60 frames. Once you register the footage, you can extract what you need! Such photos are not only composed well but are also very candid!
Another massive trend gaining popularity in recent years is “candid” photography. As we’ve mentioned, it is not uncommon to see social media photography styles becoming a trend, and candid photography belongs to the same category! With greater social media use, photos have become a fundamental way of expressing yourself, and candids have allowed many creators to show their true selves.
When it comes to professional photography, capturing candid moments is not just a skill but a tool. These photos help viewers see your subjects for who they are. Additionally, candid photography enables you to tap into your subject or subjects’ natural expressions.
Mastering candid photography can help you add excellent touches to your photos. You can always practice with your friends and family or even strangers.
Another trend that is gaining popularity is surrealism. One of the hottest photography trends in 2023 is adding colorful touches to your seemingly regular photo sessions! Using smoke bombs helps you not only add colors to your photos but also adds an element that you can’t control. Since smoke is light and will be affected by the wind, you can add some fantastic “naturalistic” touches to the elements in your photos!
A smoke bomb will add vibrancy, depth, and surrealism. Furthermore, you can tie this to the second trend we’ve covered above to add more charm to your photos! Whether romantic couple portraits or pet photos, smoke bomb photography can work for any photo shoot assignment.
It is not uncommon to see some fashion photography trends sweep into professional photography in other domains. Analog photography is also known as film photography. This means that the subject is placed right in front of the lens, and light is allowed to seep into the frame. With light seeping in, the subject appears to be imprinted on the film or in the photo.
However, it is only natural for us to feel that in the age of digital photography, analog photography makes no sense. But, the appeal of analog photography is not dead. And even if you favor digital photography, you can still add a few snaps taken from a traditional camera for variety!
The takeaway: What to keep in mind?
When it comes to photography trends, there’s something you need to keep in mind. Blindly following trends can give you great photos for the present but may not stand the test of time. You may not even be able to use it in your portfolio when the trend dies out. But there’s a way to take trendy photos and still have timeless photos! You just need to diversify the photos you take, mixing traditional and trendy photography in your sessions.
Get the latest news and photo inspiration.
