Nowadays, photography trends evolve and die quickly. In 2016, according to Deloitte, 2.5 trillion photos were shared and stored online, and 90% of them were taken with a smartphone. With the new iPhone and Google's Pixel cameras, it appears 2016 will mark the final shift of photography to smartphones. How will technology and social media change photography in 2017? We have analyzed data from Depositphotos's search algorithms and collaborated with top designers and photographers in the industry to discover what's in demand. As a result, let's explore the significant trends that have emerged and trends that will continue to dominate visual communications in the coming year.

1. VisualTrendsGuide
2017
VisualTrendsGuide
2017
VisualTrendsGuide
2017
VisualTrends
2017

2. Withthenew iPhoneandGoogle'sPixelcameras,itappears2016
willmarkthefinalshiftofphotographytosmartphones.How will
technologyandsocialmediachangephotographyin2017?
WeWehaveanalyzeddatafrom Depositphotos'ssearchalgorithms
and collaborated with top designersand photographersin the
industrytodiscoverwhat'sindemand.Asaresult,let'sexplorethe
significanttrendsthathaveemergedandtrendsthatwillcontinue
todominatevisualcommunicationsinthecomingyear.
In2016,accordingtoDeloitte,2.5trillionphotosweresharedand
storedonline,and90% ofthem weretakenwithasmartphone.

3. 90sareback— forreal
1

4. 90snostalgiawillremainontrendinvisual
communications;itisanothersteptowards
more sincere, candid and close-to-life
images.Polaroid-likesnapshots,flashphotos
andabold,colorfulstylewillallemergefrom
thistrend.Film filtersassociatedwiththe90s
add a personal touch to photographs,
deliveringdelivering a storytelling effectthatdigital
photosoftenlack.

5. Emotionsandmovement
2
Wheneveryoneissomewhatofaphotographer,thedemandfor
original,candidandauthenticimagescontinuestogrow.Highly
visualconsumersdon'treactthesamewaytopolishedphotoswith
posedmodels;theywantemotions,flaws,thegritoflife,andreal
peopleinaction.Relatablephotosthatpersonalizeastoryand
capture a moment(like a Snapchatstory)continue to trend
heavily.

7. “WecreateandlikeourcontentinaspecificwayforSnapchat,a
differentwayforInstagram andawholeotherwayforTwitter.The
natureofeachplatform allowsourcreativitytobetriggeredin
variouswaystomakethebestandmostoptimum useofthem.It
challengesusascreativesandit'sanexcitingtimeindeed.”
SamuelCarterMensah
DesigneratAKQA
London/NIKE

9. “Peoplearestillwantingwellcomposed(oratleastinterestingly
composed)images,butdon'twantthesterilestockphotosthatwe
haveseensooften.Thechallengeistocapturereallifelooking
images-imagesthatdon'tappearsetup.Capturedinawaythat
appearsnaturalandcandid,yethasrefinementenoughtomake
theimageinteresting.”
TylerOlson
Professionalphotographer,
oneofthetopcontributorsatDepositphotos

10. Connectedworld
3
Wetrustoursmartdeviceswith ourhealth and
security,weuseourchatbotstoread newsand
shareoureverydaymomentsthroughsocialmedia.
We haven'treached singularityyetand content
simplycan'tkeep pace with rapid technological
advancements.Itmakesitmorechallenging,yet
alsomorerewardingfordesignersandcreatives.

11. Thedemandfor"internetofthings"images
onDepositphotoshasdoubledin2016,and
willcontinuetorise.

12. “Ithinkthedevelopmentinthisfieldwillbeinsaneasdevicesare
interactingwitheachothermoresmoothlyeachyear.Itmakesit
more challenging,yetalso more rewarding fordesignersand
creatives.”
MartBiemans
IllustratorandDigital
Artist

14. [Still]challengingstereotypes
4
Authenticphotographyshowcasesareflectionoftheworldwelive
in,withanaccentondiversitythroughrepresentationsofdifferent
ethnicities,genders,cultures,ages,sexualorientations and
appearances. Images of the unconventional, the different
personalitiesintheworkplace,leisureandexerciseactivitiesarein
greatdemandinmicrostockandaretrendingwithmedia.

16. Videodomination
5

17. 360degree,4Kandaerialvideoaresomeofthe
hottesttrendsthisyear,asaresultofnew gear
thatallowstoshootintheseformats.GIFsare
alsopopularwithsocialmediaandnewsfeedsas
aperfectpreviewformatforvideocontent.
AccordingtoSyndacast,by2017asmuchas74%
ofallinternettrafficwillbevideocontent.

18. Astrophotography
6
WiththelatestElonMuskclaimsandNASAprojectsuccesses,the
Moon,Marsandtherestofthecosmosseemsnow closerthan
everbefore.Imagesofgalaxiesandnebulaearetrendinginsocial
media and commercial photography, illustrating the latest
discoveriesandshowingthebeautyofouterspace.

20. Boldandbrightstilllife
7

21. Sometimes,thepictureofeverydayobjects
cantellastorybetterthananactionshot.
Through vivid colors and contrast, an
eye-catchingphotoofanobjectmakesquite
the statement;photos of gadgets,food,
accessoriesandutilitieswillturnintobright
pop-artimages.

22. Moody,minimalisticlandscapes
8
Imagine austere Scandinavian panoramas and
mid-seasonmonochromescenery.Thisiswhatis
trendingnow:desertednature,unusualpatterns,
mist,rain and quietstillness.The secrethere
shouldbeonleavingafewelementsintheshotand
removing any other distractions as well as
masteringminimalism throughcolormanipulation.

24. Dronephotography
9
Dronesbringlimitlesspossibilitiesinplaying
withnew anglesandilluminatingordinary
objectsinaneverbeforeseenperspective.
From impressivecityscapesandcoastlines
to new angleson architecture and travel
pictures.

26. “Dronesarebecomingamainstream toolforphotography.Iexpect
to see more photography from a drone's high altitude view
throughout2017.Photostakenfrom highintheskyarepowerful
andcaptivating;theyofferuniqueaerialperspectiveswithasense
ofadventure.Thepricesofdronesaredroppingandthequality
andfunctionalityrising— now,dronesaremoreaccessiblethan
ever.”
AntonyKitson
DigitalDesigner,
FounderofOneTenElevenMedia

27. Simplepatterns
10
Like any otherpiece in visualcontenttrends in background
patternsareauthentic,bold and unique.Thereisdemand for
photosthatcaptureordinaryobjectsrevealingpatternsinnature,
textilesorgraphicdesign.Ontheotherhand,thereisaneedfor
simplelinesand bold colorpatternsthathelp to createclear
interfacesforsmartphonesanddevices.

29. Technology-drivenGenerationZ
11

30. Toughtocapturebuttrendingheavilyareimagesofteenagers
andyouththatembodytheessenceofthetechnology-driven
GenerationZ.Theycanbedescribedasopenminded,socially
conscious,socialmediasavvyandareexpertsatmultitasking
onmultipledevicessimultaneouslyastheyhaveneverseena
worldwithoutthem.

31. “Tome,technologyisthenewpowertool.Aswithanyofthetools
wehave,itcouldbeusedforbetterorforworse.Wehavetobe
vigilantthathumanbeingsarethemainconcerninthisevolution,
andnotbeoverwhelmedbytheinfinitepossibilitiesoftechnology.
Thisisespeciallytruewiththeyoungpeoplethatarebornintoa
worldthatisalreadytechnology-driven.”
XavierBourdil
Artdirector,
Illustrator

32. DIYstories
12
We admire entrepreneurs and artists, adore personalized,
handmadethingsandcrowdfundaudaciousprojects.Whilemass
productionandconsumerism culturestilldominatestheworld,
smallbusinessesandthedo-it-yourselfphilosophyhavewonthe
heartsofmillions.

33. Wenoticedthatsearch inquiriesfor
"patchwork" photos have increased
on98% andfor"entrepreneur"stock
images— on124% during2016.

35. THANKYOU!
ToreadthefullfeatureontheVisualTrendsof2017,visit
trends2017.depositphotos.com
pr@depositphotos.com