Trends to watch out for in 2014/5!

Yuri was recently asked during an international interview about key current trends in stock photography.  He highlighted the following five trends that he sees unfolding during the next 12 months. 

“Out with Hipster… In with MadMen!”

An obvious transfer in style is about to unfold… What we will see very shortly is a rejection of the hipster culture and ‘hippy’ elements in commercial images. The slightly ‘snobby’ trend with regards to being ecological and organic is coming to an abrupt end.

We can expect to see a more stylized old-fashioned trendy look with a Vintage twist… however; going straight from hipster to a full tailored classic suit-look would be too much too soon. I expect to see more of the following fashion items making a come-back and spark this trend change: leather shoes, bags, and belts amongst more retro accessories such as key and coin pouches, hats, cufflinks, and suitcases.

"Waining of ‘Going Green”

Previous demands to showcase environmental concerns in commercial shoots, especially recycling, are showing a decline. This trend will still be an area of concern to portray, but not have a dominating influence. As many green interventions are being implemented, such as replacing fuel engines with electric cars and other clever environmental solutions, ‘Going Green’ is becoming a part of everyday life and is no longer just a trend.

"Yes for Techno!"

New innovative emerging technology is driving techno gear and devices to be prominently included in images. Examples of these would be Smart Watches, 3D printers, bendable phones, ( LG Flex) Google glasses, self driving cars as well as other amazing technology advances.

"Grey and Natural Tones"

I predict we will see a gradual move away from the popular bright and colourful fashion look and move towards the more classical, neutral and less ‘noisy’ colour pallets. Grey and natural tones will become more popular in the fashion trends of the near future.

"New Gear"

New flagship cameras from Nikon and Cannon in particular will be something to look forward to and we can expect many enhanced hi-tech features to improve image quality. The same holds true for lenses, with top brands to launch vastly improved quality lenses. Third party manufacturers of lenses are stepping up their game and they might just surprise us with high quality lenses at more competitive pricing this year. Rather sit tight and wait until later this year before investing in new gear to reap the benefits of what is to come.