Trends in Photography in 2020

Every year we have made it a point to tell our readers, the direction in which the photographic industry is heading. The trends article started as a one off in our earlier issue and with time has become an annual feature in the magazine that the readers have admired a lot. So once again it is the start of another year and here is our trends issue. As mentioned before, this article is more than what meets the eye. For many it might see as if it is random styles, technology and trends put together. But the points mentioned below culminate after a lot of thought, internal debate and also the future. So these are the trends that we feel will become big in the industry in the year 2020.

End of the DSLR, its Mirrorless time

This point has already featured in the last 2 editions of this article but the importance of this is going to be the greatest in this year. For the simple reason that the only two primary manufacturers that are still in the DSLR business have also almost entirely shifted to mirrorless. Canon is the only brand in 2019 that launched a DSLR, with its EOS 90D. All models introduced by Nikon were in the mirrorless category. Of course, Canon is rumoured to be working on a professional camera which mostly likely might launch at CP+ this year. And Nikon will also probably have some product in that category. But largely all the other manufacturers are now in the mirrorless game and 2020 probably might see the last of these models being launched.

Film photography

When I had spoken about this point a few years back in one of the articles, Film was showing some minuscule signs of resurgence. But thanks to the power of social media filters, the film community has nearly doubled in the past few years. And this is evident with the continual release of film products launched by a variety of manufacturers.

For instance, Fujifilm has released its famed ACROS II film in Japan in December 2019 and Kodak also released its Ektachrome E100 film in 4×5 sheets and 120 medium format film with the 35mm rolls already available for some time now. Ilford is also another manufacturers that has been continually manufacturing film for professionals. This only means that the consumers of these products are only increasing.

Mirrorless lenses

Although this pretty much is a no brainer, with the popularity of the mirrorless format, lenses have played a very important role in its popularity. And although most manufacturers started slow, their growing portfolio of lenses and development is a testament of their commitment to the format. However we still haven’t seen some of the best focal lengths making it to the category. But this is changing fast. Manufacturers are already in the midst of launching/developing popular lenses in the mirrorless format so that the users can make the most out of their photography.

Cloud storage and other formats

With the increase in the megapixels and videos capturing capabilities of cameras, storage is one of the key areas that has needed importance. The requirement of faster cards, compact drives and lesser clogging of your internal memory has given the rise to Cloud Storage and other formats. And moving forward these services will only become more popular with more and more primary technology manufacturers also offering competitive prices for cloud storage.

And manufactures like WD and SanDisk are introducing portable SSD solutions like SanDisk Extreme Pro SSD that are targeted towards photographers offering high transfers speeds and compact/portable solutions.

Synergy between apps and cameras

With smart devices practically taking over our daily lives, 2020 will see a lot more synergy between apps and cameras. Most manufacturers already have apps that are available to transfer and control the basic settings of your cameras since the past few years. But lets be honest, the user interface of these apps aren’t that great and neither do they have the advanced features that they could.

With the UI of the cameras improving continuously, it is only a matter of time that apps also will become good and this year will see a lot of that happening.

Pop goes the colour

When it comes to photography styles, let’s face it, we aren’t really having any breath taking/sky tearing innovations. And to be fair there is only so much that a photographer can think of. Over the year’s styles tend of re-emerge with certain modifications and ‘Loud Colours’ is a trend that we predict will be big in 2020.

And this will be all around, when it comes to shoots, weddings, pictures, ambiance, clothes and the works. So get ready to see those colours pop in 2020.

Quick assembled accessories and battery powered lights

One of the most difficult categories to predict are accessories. For the simple reason that it is a fast-changing environment with any product suddenly gaining popularity overnight and disappearing overnight. But 2020 will see the popularity of quickly assembled accessories rise phenomenally.

And closer to the lights, which play a very important role in photography, will see battery powered lights becoming very popular. Manufacturers are already offering such solutions today and the move is not only environment friendly but also to offer solutions with better technology and performance.

Vertical photos and videos (For full screen status updates)

Until recently taking videos in the vertical format was a taboo and frowned upon. Even photos in that orientation would not be preferred with lesser content squeezed into the frame. But the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020 has already seen an upward trend of the vertical format. Status updates, videos and pictures in this format have taken social media platforms like WhatsApp, YouTube and Instagram by storm. And if that popularity is anything to go by then it is surely here to stay.

Videos are taking over Photos

The popularity of the vertical format bring me to my next point, and that is Videos are literally taking over. Thanks to Instagram, YouTube and a certain Tik Tok, the consumption of video content is outweighing that of the pictures. And this is evident with the abundant features that are offered with the cameras these days.

First reaction pictures in Wedding

Capturing emotions and the mood of weddings has always been important. But there is a trend that is likely to be very popular in the coming year, which is ‘First Reactions’. The style includes capturing the first reactions of the couple, family and friends during the wedding festivities. This could be the groom seeing the bride the first time, friends seeing the newly wedded couple the first time or family controlling their emotions on realisation that their daughter is now married.

There are dedicated photographers during weddings to only capture these moments since they are natural, important and memories that make the big day special. And this is a trend that will see a lot of the wedding industry adapting this year.