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2024 is upon us. What are your photography plans for the next year? We hope that you’ve enjoyed your photography over the last year, and that you have gone from strength to strength as a photographer.
If you’re hoping to learn new photography skills in 2024 we have some ideas to help you do just that. Read on for details of five new photography trends to try in 2024 and a few tips for how to get started.
The trend for retro, vintage and nostalgia seems to be everywhere these days. And photography is no exception to that. Perhaps it’s not surprising that, given to the troubled times we are living in, people are harking back to what they believe to be happier and more civilised times.
But, whatever the reason for the trend, it certainly seems to be here to stay in 2024. So if your aim is to learn some new photography skills this year, this is a pretty good place to start.
If you are also into vintage cameras, then now is the time to get some expert help to try and get them working and see what results you can achieve from them. But if you are using a more modern camera there is still plenty you can do to achieve a vintage look and feel to your photos.
There are many good camera filters on the market that can recreate the look and feel of old photographs. We look at filters in more detail in our guide What do camera lens filters do and which are the best to use?, including graduated colour filters that can add a sepia effect. And in fact, getting to grips with an array of different filters is a really good way to learn new photography skills.
Another great way to add a vintage or retro feel to your photos is to do some photo editing on your images. Even on a smartphone, there is usually some kind of vintage image editing tool that can add grainy textures, sepia tones and faded colours to your image, making it look as if it were taken on a much older camera than the one you actually used. And practising with photo editing techniques is also an invaluable part of helping you to learn new photography skills.
Another nod to a simpler way of life is the growing popularity of rustic photography. You may already have noticed this in advertising and product placement.
The idea behind rustic photography is to have backgrounds – and sometimes also subjects – that reflect the natural world. For example stone, wood, trees, grass or flowers. And with the emphasis being on natural elements, texture is also very important. So to learn new photography skills relevant to rustic photography you will need to understand more about emphasising texture in your photos.
The best way to do this is to experiment with the right aperture, ISO and shutter speed settings as different “exposure triangle” settings make a huge difference. You can read more about this in our guide Want to learn about photography? Start here!
Be particularly aware that if you are taking photographs in harsh, direct light, this can reduce the amount of texture visible in the image. So ideally you want to take textured photos in gentle natural light rather than bright sun.
And, as with the vintage look, another option is to edit your photos after you have taken them. Look for a photo editing tool that can change the feel of all or part of your image by overlaying different elements to create a more textured appearance.
Another emerging trend is vertical photos. Most photos that you see are taken horizontally. That is the way we see things and so the images are what we are used to. But vertical images are an attempt to manipulate the brain’s natural focus.
Vertical photos are best used when your subject is taller than it is wide, or for situations when your subject is looking up or down, making full use of extended open space at the top or bottom of the image. Vertical photos are also good at conveying a sense of motion: for example if your subject is moving towards or away from the camera this usually appears as an upwards or downwards movement in a 2D image.
The easiest way to take a vertical photograph is to turn your camera sideways. Then compose your shot using the “rule of thirds”, where you mentally divide your frame into three zones, with a clear foreground, middle and background. This will help you to create a well-balanced image in good proportion. YOu can read more about the rule of thirds in our guide Want to learn about photography? Start here!
One exciting area to look at if you want to learn new photography skills is dramatic photography. This technique can cover a wide range of topics, but the point is to have something that grabs the attention and even takes the viewer’s breath away.
A few ideas for dramatic shots are:
There are three stages in the process of achieving a great dramatic image:
The whole idea of dramatic shots is to balance all the above elements to create compositions that not only look spectacular but also convey a sense of meaning to the viewer, and involve their emotions as they look at the photo.
Seemingly in contrast to some of the above trends, there is also a growing trend for more authentic and inclusive photos. This trend is certainly visible in photo and video marketing, as a response to consumer demand for authenticity and inclusivity in the brands they support. Many people are looking for brands with real stories, real people and real emotions.
This trend is also worth exploring as a keen amateur photographer. What can you do to make your photos look more authentic and less staged? And also how can you learn new photography skills that mean you don’t need to add any post-photo editing to achieve the kind of shots that you are proud of?
The key thing is to know your camera inside out, understand its settings and what it can deliver. Then when you are placing a shot, you can focus on the main subject of the shot without worrying about whether or not you are getting everything right. As you become more relaxed and confident as a photographer, you stand more chance of reflecting that mood into your images and increasing their authenticity and emotional appeal.
Good luck with your photography in 2024. We hope that the above trends give you some ideas about how to learn new photography skills this year.
Do check back here soon for more helpful photography guides from Print Your Memory.
