Photography Looking to Past/Future for 2017
Even though many of the technologies upon which photography is based are now mature, the culture surrounding photography is anything but stagnant. Lovers of film and/or digital photography have the tools to create images of the highest quality.
The diversity to be found within these images in 2017, however, is going to exhibit a lot of new trends. While it is impossible to totally anticipate 2017 photography trends, we'll do our best to anticipate some of them ahead of time.
1. High Quality Video
Grainy Youtube videos and data caps are a sign of an internet video culture in its infancy. Today, quality and ubiquity are the demands that will change internet video in 2017. Facebook has already announced that video is a top priority, and video is becoming inseparable from all forms of social media.
It is estimated that 74% of internet traffic will be video in 2017. With drone video delivering aerial moving pictures unlike anything the world has ever seen, and cheap consumer tech mimicking the highest levels of digital video quality, you can bet that videos in many different forms will be omnipresent in 2017.
2. Images of the New Space Race
Outer space hasn't dominated the cultural consciousness since the original moon landing half a century ago. Today, innovators like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, imaging advancements among national photography telescopes, increased viewing distance among commercial photography technologies, and the major advancements from states like China and India, all influence a growing resurgence in popular space imagery.
With every new discovery, every image that is clearer than anything ever previously released, the public becomes more involved in the new Space Race. We predict this will only become more so in 2017.
3. Drone Photography
Most people don't have drones today. We expect this to change in the coming decade. Drones may in fact be the new smartphone, something that few could afford a decade ago but which are near ubiquitous today. Drone photography is already changing our TV, movies, news, and social media. Expect this to become all the more common in 2017.
Drones are becoming ever more affordable, and we're only just learning how much they can do for photography. You don't need a helicopter anymore to get some of the most impressive aerial shots, and tiny drones have the capability of navigating tight confines and turning on a dime. This trend is only going up in 2017.
4. Virtual Reality
Virtual reality hasn't hit in a big way yet, but that may change in 2017. Everybody has a friend on social media who has tried VR and thinks it will change the world. When it does, pictures and videos that compose the virtual experiences will be some of the most important to capture and understand. We think this will take center stage in 2017.
There are endless other and more nuanced photography trends that will emerge in 2017. There are some of the most interesting and novel. As we wait to see what 2017 will hold for all aspects of our culture, you can bet that image-making and viewing will be central to it.
