words Alexa Wang
Keeping up with trending technologies has become mandatory in every line of work. The same applies to photography. Over the past century, photography went from being one of the most challenging and time consuming professions to something with a streamlined workflow, all thanks to cutting edge technologies.
In fact, there is so much going on that it is borderline impossible for photographers to keep up with the latest trends and standards in the photography industry. Ranging from online photography contests all the way to drones, new opportunities emerge for photographers to make a name for themselves. Below are the latest photography trends. Leverage them to your advantage but with that said, don’t forget the basics and always look at classic imagery for inspiration.
Droning on About Drones
We can’t refer to drones as things used in photography. In fact they are so commonly used by both professional and weekend photographers that they have become a new age photography standard. If you want to take a breathtaking photo of a landscape – the best option is a drone. The same applies to urban photography, sports photography, and more.
What made this possible? Technology, of course. As we speak, DSLR cameras are becoming smaller, more powerful and affordable. The same goes for drones. Have you seen what DJI has done with them? Their Mavic Pro and Spark drone series have made drones more affordable than ever before.
The Phantom drone series has made a boom in the world of photography. As steady as the calm hand of an experienced photographer, these drones enabled people to shoot perfect bird eye shots with pro-quality cameras and a 3D gimbal.
Photography Competition as Networking Events
Thanks to Internet technologies, photographers have amazing opportunities today. Besides stock photography websites enabling photographers to make a living from what they do best, there are also websites specializing in photography contests. How does this help photographers?
These websites provide a unique opportunity for photographers. While there is a winning aspect to it, there is actually so much more. First of all, by participating in daily contests, photographers will have to challenge themselves to deliver better shots.
There is also the networking aspect. Photographers are able to meet a lot of their colleagues from other countries on these sites. They can strike new deals, make new partnerships, and move faster towards reaching success in their careers.
Not to mention the feedback that senior and more experienced colleagues give to their younger peers on this platforms. This information is invaluable in terms of learning how to improve and take better shots.
To skill up and gain confidence photographers should definitely engage in online photo competitions. How to choose? Simply go with the flow and try out the world’s greatest photography contest by GuruShots.
Stereo Cameras Making a Comeback?
A camera with two lenses. Each one of the lenses has a separate image sensor. A camera able to simulate our vision and be able to capture 3D images. All this sounds a bit futuristic, doesn’t it?
Well, it is not. In fact, this tech has been available to us for the last 7 years. And no, we are not talking about those 3D DSLR lenses. We are talking about true one sensor per one lens solutions. Ever since HTC released a stereoscopic smartphone in 2011, people could experience the beady of shots taken by stereo cameras.
In fact, they redid it and made it even better in their HTC EVO 3D. This means that there is definitely the market for stereo cameras. Now that Google shut down their Project Tango, we will have to wait before stereo photography catches the attention of a huge player in the industry.
Computational Photography
Have you ever thought about computers taking over the world of photography, casting the optics away from the throne? Using artificial intelligence and machine learning to capture and process an image has become our reality.
What should photographers know about computational photography? At the moment there are two sides of the computational photography coin. One is Google’s, while the other is Light’s. Google achieved the impossible. With just one lens, and powerful machine learning algorithms, Google has enabled everyone to capture true bokeh images.
Light goes in the opposite direction to achieve the same effect. In fact, their L16 device is using 16 lenses to create just one image. Imagine that, 16 lenses!
The smartphone industry is definitely the playground for inventors of new technologies in digital imaging, or at least it appears so. Anyhow, these are the trends that you should stay tuned to. As you can see, not all of the achievements are designed to help you become a better photographer by arming you with better tech, but also by connecting you with your colleagues and enabling your professional growth and development through community feedback.
