Concept photography is a type of photography that is staged to represent an idea or a concept. Since the invention of the camera, artists have used it as a medium to create false realities and to create visual stories communicating an idea. With its versatile look, concept photography has always gone hand in hand with stock photography, so we thought it was about time to have a look at the latest trends within this creative art form.
Girl Gaze
Have you noticed swirling around on your Instagram feed yet? If you are not yet familiar with what caused the fuss I can tell you that it started with a woman called Amanda de Cadenet. After reading an article in New York Times Magazine about the disproportionate number of men working behind the camera in the film industry compared to women, she got inspired to do something about it. With a focus on female photographers she started up a project on Instagram where women could submit their work, gain more exposure and get the chance to shoot an editorial for Teen Vogue. It didn鈥檛 take long before over 2.8 million images were submitted with a #girlgaze. Following this, a book was published touching upon themes such as body image, mental health, race and gender. It’s certainly not the first time, but a new trend has been born on Instagram and it is all about the female gaze.
Surrealism
Surrealistic imagery is such an exciting image form where you are completely allowed to unleash your inner creativity. There are no rules!
The best place to start looking for surrealist image inspiration is by looking at contemporary fashion photography. A good place to start is at . Her images are rich and complex, and it allows the viewer to let go of any preconceptions and dwell within her dreamy universe. Surrealist imagery can take many forms, but the bottom line is they all make us stop up and challenge our conventions. This trend is very popular with commercial brands and advertisers as it allows them to stand out from the crowd with a completely different visual message.
Creative Collages and Double Exposures
In this trend imperfection meets beauty, another form which is fun experimenting with in concept photography. 17吃瓜在线 contributor Emma Ashwin uses both techniques in her work, and the result is fascinating. As with surrealistic imagery her work challenges us to rethink what is normal. Neither collages or double exposures are exactly newcomers to the table, but they are constantly evolving and so should we. The trend has emerged from the graphic design industry so don鈥檛 be afraid to mix different mediums and introduce unexpected elements.
Bold colours and reality with a twist
Vibrancy and hypeyreality are the two keywords here. It looks like 2018 will be a year where there is no point in being shy or humble. Get your images out there with bold colours that shout out your idea loud and clear. Using duotones is another way of creating loud imagery (). Images with duotones work especially well with other design elements and typography which explains why it has become such a popular photography trend. We鈥檙e expecting to see more hyper-real concepts as well. This could include landscapes with unnatural colours, or humans in slightly unrecognizable situations. As technology grows we can feel the future catching up with our everyday lives and it鈥檚 important that our conceptual ideas and photography reflect that.
Naturally Unnatural
Following the above trends it is tempting to go to far but it in order to create a compelling story that draws the attention of the viewer it鈥檚 also important to not overdo it. 鈥淎uthentic鈥 has been the biggest keyword for image trends over the last couple of years and this will not change for 2018. Concepts photographed in a more natural way are easier to familiarise with, but with subtle hints the photo can still keep its strong visual message.
We鈥檙e looking forward to see your individual takes on the above trends. If you have an idea, don鈥檛 be afraid to experiment with it.