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Much like web design, photography too has its share of trends and techniques that keep coming in vogue or falling out of favor. With the role of photography rising, not just in a real-life capture of memories but as a viable medium for creating images for the web, certain photography trends seem to be dominating the scene.

What are the major photography trends that will be extremely popular in 2016? In this article, we attempt to find an answer to this question.

Black and White

Ok, black and white is not a recent innovation in the world of photography. In fact, photographers have been using black and white as a medium to enhance and amplify their photos for decades now. So why are we listing it as a recent trend?

Well, the trend is not “black and white” in itself, but the approach that black and white photography has adopted and is adopting of late. To begin with, black and white photography seems to have evolved the “absence” of color concept to showcase a varied list of things: solitude and sadness to even compassion and mercy.

Similarly, black and white photography is now being used more and more to exhibit modern lifestyle: possibly the busy lives that we lead and the concrete jungles that we build.

The Role of Animals

Wildlife photography has been a popular genre in the past few years. In 2016, there is one trend that seems to be ever on the rise: animal photography, which may or may not have to deal with wildlife.

Domesticated and pet animals are now becoming a mainstay of photography, with more and more photographers clicking images of animals — most particularly, cats, dogs, and horses.

You might also attribute this to the ever-increasing number of semi-professional and amateur photographers, who find it easy to click photos of pets that they have in their nearby locations, as opposed to professional photographers who might shoot images in a wildlife safari.

Design Patterns

Minimalism has gained many adherents in followers in web design. However, in the past few months and heading strong into 2016, photography trends seem to be speaking a different story: the rise of patterns in photographs!

Multiple layers of patterns and bright colors are gaining popularity as a photography trend; this is in stark contrast to the world of web design or other forms of art, wherein minimalism is still prominent.

What can be the reason behind this trend? Refer to the first point above; in the world of photography, whatever scope minimalism seems to have, has been captured by black and white photography. More often than not, whitespace either finds itself in a black and white photo or is replaced by vivid colors in a brightly colored photograph. Thus, minimalist photography seems to be becoming a sub-genre of black and white photography; whereas design patterns and bright colors are creating a niche of their own.

Inanimate Objects in Still Life Photography

Generally restricted to artwork, still life is now an extremely prominent genre of photography, and in 2016, this is probably going to be the most prevailing photography trend.

But unlike art on canvas, still life photography seems to be steering towards inanimate objects: portraits and human or animal forms are diminishing regarding popularity, but still life photos of non-living objects: furniture, gadgets and table-tops — is ever on the rise.

One extremely popular trend is the photography of gadgets, generally mobile phones or tablets and laptops, and you can find such photography samples on virtually every major photography website or outlet out there.

Neon Landscapes

If the past few years were the years of Bokeh Photography, 2016 is surely going to be the year of neon landscapes in photography.

Thanks to the easy availability of photo editing tools and applications, neon landscapes have become a very popular trend in photography, and you will not have a hard time finding it in good use. Furthermore, add to it the fact that such landscape images do very well on Instagram or Pinterest, and you will easily understand why many young photographers are leaning towards neon-colored landscape photography, be it the sunset, beach or the night sky.

Conclusion

Photography is an ever-evolving form of art, and what is popular today might fall out of favor tomorrow. That said, certain trends just refuse to die out, as we can see from the manner in which photographers keep experimenting with and modifying black and white photography.

Thanks to better quality camera phones and the cheaper availability of DSLRs, more and more folks are turning towards photography. Of course, a good camera phone can transform you into someone who takes good selfies, but not necessarily into a good photographer. But the evolution of photography trends of late surely has been influenced by the easy access to cameras and photo editing apps.

What do you think of these photography trends for 2016? Share your views in the comments below!

Photos: Unsplash | Zazzle | Jarmoluk | Tookapic | Favim