The past few years have been really unique, primarily since 2021 was majorly spent in a pandemic and the year 2022 witnessed majority of those restrictions lifted across major parts in the world. But both these years presented with a unique set of trends that were nearly on the opposite side of the spectrum. And in 2023, things are really back to the basics honestly.

Every year I do my list of trends and predictions for the year to come and if the previous articles are anything to go by, then we usually do tend to get most of them right. So what are the trends in technology and photography that we reckon are going to become big this year? Let’s find out.

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By Bhavya Desai

Unedited Images

While users pride on their knowledge of post processing that can truly turn an ordinary image into an extraordinary one, using editing tools, one big trend that is likely to take 2023 by storm and social media is ‘unedited images’.

There is a large contingent of users online that believe that the social media world is increasingly fake and superficial. Hence there is an increased push towards more credible work, that features more unedited images. A small portion of that trend can also be seen in advertising and commercial campaigns, where brands are also now using this strategy in order to promote self-love and positive body image on its users.

Of course when we say unedited images, it doesn’t mean that small tweaks aren’t done to make it more appealing. But these are just minor corrections to adjust colour and exposure. Personally I am also a user’s that prefers to use minimal edits, which means that you have to then spend more time shooting the right image from the get go. So unedited or raw images are likely to be a big trend in 2023.

Highlight Reels from Weddings

With a hiatus of nearly 2 years, the wedding industry has seen an unprecedented flow of work, functions, ceremonies in 2023. So much so that, even a novice photographer is booked out completely in advance. But while there are many weddings that are taking place this year, the method of content consumption has surely changed from before.

Gone are the days when family and friends want to look at long videos, boring images – one after the other for hours together. Today the world is more about instant consumption and Highlight Reels are the mantra! Users are now looking for highlight reels for their marriage to share instantly with family and friends that are easy to share, upload and view on social media. So this year – highlight reels in wedding photography will be a big trend.

Reels and Shorts

Undoubtedly the biggest trend that came out of the past 2 years are reels and shorts. Following TikTok’s meteoric rise in recent years, other social media platforms such as YouTube and Instagram have also aggressively started pushing short-form video content to its users.

Instagram reels and YouTube Shorts let users to publish catchy, entertaining material that has the potential to become viral. The tremendous explosion of short form video material has a cause. Our attention spans are shrinking, making it increasingly challenging for marketers to keep our attention. Indeed, according to one Microsoft-commissioned research, we are now less attentive than the typical goldfish. It is extremely difficult for still photographers to stay in the market as video media covers over, but as we can see, a large number of photographers are finally moving their step into Reels and Shorts by using creative ideas to show their images in vertical videos or by showing a behind the scenes on how they clicked the photograph to stay in the market.

Vertical Videos

If you remember, this trend was featured a few years back in one of my lists and makes a comeback to this year’s list as well. The use of vertical videos will only seem relevant to you, depending on how much video content you shoot and for what platform. Take for instance my own personal example. Up until last year I would shoot most of my videos horizontally on my phone.

But since last year, I find myself shooting more and more videos vertically, even on our personal family trips and vacations. And with the explosion of vertical video content on short-content platforms, vertical videos are a thing of the future.

AI Image Creation

The year 2022 will go down in history as an important milestone when it comes to Artificial Intelligence creating images from scratch. I still remember, nearly a decade back I would always wonder, what if I could just say something and a computer would throw up an image depending on my imagination. And while that seemed like a distant dream at that time, in 2022 it is more of a reality.

Enter DALL-E, an emerging AI image synthesizers that can now create amazing, photorealistic pictures from text to image. There are some other popular platforms as well like Mid-journey and Stable Diffusion also that do the same thing. But as seen on social media, AI has now become a trend now, well it’s not a great match to photography but in coming years it might be a great battle between photographers and AI. I can see more and more of such images being used online with humans using their better judgement to realize what might be AI generated and what would be real.

Authentic and Real Images

Don’t get confused by the headline that you read earlier regarding unedited images? While this might seem similar, it isn’t. authentic and real images refer to pics that are natural, candid and un-staged. Covid and the lockdown has affected everyone on this planet and definitely gave some creative and boring trends while sitting at home. Who knows why trends emerge and what influences them, but lockdown appears to have helped us all appreciate the real world. We’re no longer living in dreams since the actual world has seemed like a fantasy at times. How does this perspective affect photography? It indicates a stronger importance on realism in 2023.

So 2023 will surely see a lot more realistic view at the subject, allowing the lens to capture true moments without any fear of manipulation.

Metaverse

This trend has emerged as a regular issue in any discussion on the future of the technology sector. This area has great economic potential, with $800 billion predicted by the middle of this decade and $2.5 trillion by 2030 according to some sources. Regardless of the difficulties Meta is experiencing in developing its ambitions, the metaverse in its original form can present significant potential for businesses in terms of expanded social presence, remote working, payments, healthcare, product trade, and so on.

Many businesses are already taking use of this environment to improve their products, project a distinct brand image, or communicate with their customers. The industrial metaverse is one of the sector’s and Industry 5.0’s most fervent ambitions. The applications are vast, ranging from recording and documenting the nature of reality to analysing and enhancing data in virtual settings to attaining long-term goals while minimising costs. We are still a long way from experiencing a digital world that combines virtual and physical reality in a shared online realm. Still, technology will fundamentally alter how we work, shop, and enjoy ourselves, and we have already begun to glimpse some of its powers.

Smart Cameras to continue revolutionising photography

Slowly but surely the cameras of smart devices are breaking new barriers. Don’t get me wrong, these won’t ever replace mirrorless cameras. The application of a traditional camera is far more than its smaller counterpart, but the rate at which the development of the smart cameras is ongoing, it will for the foreseeable future revolutionise photography for the years to come.

And that is only natural since smaller cameras require more innovation and ambition to pack technology into its tiny spaces. In 2022 the cameras have already broken the entry barrier of 100-megapixel in smart devices with greater zoom capability. So it is only a matter of time when we can expect to see more.

Wildlife Photography Tours

With the lockdown lifted, wildlife photography enthusiasts and photographers have flocked parks like never before. Infact forest reserves are experiencing a high volume of demand from tours that offer wildlife as part of their portfolios during the season time. With more and more users looking to get out and shoot wildlife, one of the biggest trends this year in wildlife photography will be unique and customised tours surrounding the topic.

So these were some of the trends that will become big in 2023.