Trends and Photography

The latest assignment is to explore trends in a particular genre of photography using websites or other resources, then take a look at my inspiration file to see if there are any elements of these current trends and analyze how they may be influencing me. What an interesting process this will be, but it will have to wait until I am back home from my road trip, since I just don’t have easy internet access.

Like some others who have already posted on this topic, I am aware of some trends that arise out of photo editing programs.  I’m thinking of textures and layers and the holga lens effect.  While I enjoy seeing texture and layers in others’ photos, I really haven’t explored them myself.  It takes some effort to master to layering in Photoshop Elements, which is the program I have, but it’s also at home and not on the laptop that I’m using while we’re on the road.

I find the holga lens very interesting with its moody fade out and darkening around the edges. I’d like to see how some of my photos look with this effect.  And I will try it once I’m home and have access to my photo editing program.  I also notice that there’s a lot of bokeh around even in TV series and I’m attracted to that and would like to be able to master this effect.

It seems to me that we’re all influenced by trends in imagery, to some extent.  We’re  surrounded by so many visuals—on TV, internet, billboards, magazines, etc.  I enjoy looking at photographs of home décor and food and I see definite trends in this genre.  Also, landscape photography has moved away from what I think of as the classic “Ansel Adams” approach, although some photographers are returning to black and white and even using the big field cameras again to recreate that look. 

There are so many approaches and I am grateful that Kat has suggested this exercise to show a possible way through the forest of trends to find my own eye. 

The blue highway at the top was taken from the car window after a storm in Nebraska. The church below is actually one in Taos that Ansel Adams photographed.  I don’t think he had any tree shadows in his, though.

This last one is from our recent trip to Tumacacori, an abandoned mission in Arizona.  I discovered the bokeh circles when I looked at it on my computer.  I have no idea how they got there, but I think they add a little mystery to the image.  Clearly I will have to find out more about creating this look.