As a philosopher, Marshall McLuhan once said: "Media is an extension of a man", meaning therefore that photography is a medium that extends our minds, hearts and soul. It is also a medium that constantly changes in terms of how it is expressed. We live in an era where gear, editing programmes and our own expanded creative minds help us to express ourselves through photography exactly how we wish. 1605 Publishers has created for you a list of current and upcoming photography trends so you get inspired by beautiful concepts and visions.

The main trend of the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023 is an unusual perspective, imperfect, yet natural, shots, vertical format and the domination of mobile photography.

Dramatic photos

Portrait by Jack Davison. The trend on dramatic photos incorporate surreal and realistic elements to create engaging, eye-catching images. By adding high contrast elements, playing with lighting effects, using unusual colors, and other different techniques you can add the sought-after drama to your body of work.

Vivid & Intense

Image by Elizaveta Porodina. While heavy photo manipulation is discouraged, this doesn’t mean that a product photographer shouldn’t be able to use a certain amount of editing to enhance the image. Purple, red and yellow colours are among the most trendy ones.

Neon colours

Gorgeous portrait by Paolo Roversi. Nostalgia for the nineties, polaroid-style shots, leaked light, over exposure, live film shoots, flash photography and neon colours are now in fashion again. 

Innovative equipment 

Self portrait by Irving Penn. Distorted black and white and colourful filters, wide angle lenses and placing objects in front of the lens to achieve the desirable effect of the photograph is something to experiment with this coming season.

Come back of pictorialism

Pictorialists proudly defined themselves as true amateurs — those who pursued photography out of a love for the art. Originated in the 19th Century it is now making its comeback with gorgeous poetic portraits and nostalgic landscapes. 

Outdoor photography

Earthy tones, items from nature, focus on creating an organic, natural feel will stand out during this new season. Outside images can also be incorporated into a collage as an extra creative idea, as it can be seen in the work by Katrien De Blauwer.

 
Geometry and shapes

This trend dives into the mid-century modern design movement and is characterised by symmetry, lack of decorative embellishments, and no clutter. In photography, this translates into minimalism, contrasting colors, unusual figures, futuristic vibes with no distracting elements.

Videos Are Taking Over

Video featuring work by Viviane Sassen. In recent years, the trend has shifted from the still image to video. This can be noted on Instagram with the rise of Reels. Much of this has been driven by the fact that technology has allowed the video to become much more compact, expanding where it can be delivered. Alongside, this also happened due to the fact that the modern viewer pays more attention to videos than to still images.

Focus on the body

Since the global pandemic, we've learned to focus on our inner selves and to spend more time with ourselves. Organically, this led to an even deeper connection with our souls - but most importantly - with our bodies. The trend is to accept who you are no matter what you wear, where you come from, or what is your body type. With this in mind, photography that focuses on different bodies is something trending but also very empowering at this very moment.