Like fashion or home décor, the creative industry constantly oscillates from content trend to trend. One year it’s a cohesive and highly edited aesthetic. The next it’s bold colors, or another year, black and white photography. What’s exciting about the coming year is that, according to experts, just about anything goes—breaking the rule of thirds, opting for raw and gritty over precisely edited, or using AI to fine-tune your editing.
Those are just the start of expert-predicted photography and filmmaking shifts for 2024. To help you prepare for the New Year, we talked predictions with well-known photographers, filmmakers, social media experts, and creators to bring you the top content trends to watch for in 2024.
1. Lightweight Kits
As creators, we love having every tool at our disposal. Although, sometimes it’s easier (and better on our backs) to make do with a lighter load. Travel photographer Tiffany Nguyen—the creator behind the Instagram account @TiffPenguin—says we’ll see more minimalistic kits in the coming year.
It’s an understandable impulse and a longstanding industry habit to always carry more than you need,” she explained. “But I think photographers will begin to cut back and only carry the items that are necessary.”
With the current landscape of technological advances in cameras and post-production tools, content creators are likely to find ways to carry a minimal kit without compromising quality.
2. Experimentation with Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Travel filmmaker Eileen Aldis says AI will play a key role in content in the coming year, with AI to become more integrated and more sophisticated when it comes to capturing and creating content. She foresees social platforms bolstering their own AI offerings to keep editing and content production within the apps.
AI will be used increasingly in every stage of production—from research, to scripting, to shot composition and editing. The process will be even more streamlined and plug and play.
Eileen Aldis
With that in mind, creators must mind authenticity, quality, and ethics while using AI. Tiffany Nguyen also sees AI playing a key role in the future of the creative industry.
“The creators that are able to use AI to their creative advantage while still maintaining their personal artistic touch will be able to set themselves apart from their peers and create unique art,” Nguyen explained.
3. Expect More Vertical Video
Vertical video will also likely continue its widespread reign.
“Technology influences social media and social media, in turn, influences technology,” Aldis said, noting vertical-video-friendly cameras like the Canon PowerShot V10 Vlog Camera record this format by rotating the camera on its side.
Vertical video has a firm hold on how we consume media and it’s likely here to stay. Cameras like the PowerShot V10 will prove to be especially helpful for creators who don’t want to record on a phone, but also don’t want to have to crop the footage later in post-production.
4. Audio Takes Priority
There is no excuse for subpar sound quality in 2024. Aldis explained that, with increasingly user-friendly and affordable options for capturing sound on the go, expectations for sound quality will increase.
Some recommended audio options include the DJI Mic and Røde Wireless GO II, which “give creators greater flexibility and creativity for capturing high quality audio up to around 250m away from their cameras,” Aldis shared.
5. Embrace the Analog
Travel journalist and photographer Lauren Breedlove, founder of the blog Girl Wanderlist, uses film photography on countless global adventures—and she’s not the only one.
Nostalgia is back in a big way. It offers photographers the chance to slow down and take more care behind each photo.
Lauren Breedlove
Breedlove first dabbled into travel film photography using her mom’s hand-me-down 35mm Canon camera alongside her go-to mirrorless setup, which she prefers thanks to its light weight. The two work well in tandem, providing two unique perspectives when visiting landscapes and cities.
Breedlove says we’ll also see photographers breaking the once-staple must-dos, like the rule of thirds, in the coming year: “As photographers get more creative and bold in their choices, I think we’ll see more minimalistic imagery produced and daring compositions that break the “rule of thirds,” giving us fresh perspectives.”
6. Natural, Natural, Natural
Candid images are all the rage for the new year. Photographer, filmmaker, and journalist Thuc Doan Nguyen predicts there will be more natural lighting in the imaging industry.
“There will be more of the ‘imperfect is perfect’ in terms of subjects and final images….This swing toward ‘natural and real’ will help artists stand out from AI, too,” Nguyen explained.
Additionally, photographer Paul David Smith says moving past the perfectly staged images will help creators better connect with their audiences.
Raw photos offer a sense of authenticity and realism. People are craving genuine and unaltered content that reflects real life rather than highly curated or idealized representations.
Paul David Smith
By being transparent and showcasing the imperfections of real life situations, and unfiltered emotions, photographers, creatives, and brands can engage with their audience in a more authentic way.
7. Editing as a Means of Creative Expression
That said, editing isn’t going anywhere—and that’s a good thing. Extensive editing allows visual artists to heighten creative possibilities, experiment with different styles, and produce artwork that would otherwise be unattainable.
“Highly edited images are unlikely to disappear from the visual landscape as they serve as a form of artistic expression for photographers and artists,” said Smith.
8. Photography for Change
Artists will increasingly use their gifts to help the causes they believe in, predicts Nguyen. This will likely lead to more docu-style images next year.
“As we’ve seen this year with labor strikes and anti-war protests, we’ll get more images of fighting for causes, cooperative living, and nurturing,” said Nguyen.
9. Community Over Competition
“We’re over gatekeeping!” said Olivia Bossert, a fashion photographer and educator, predicting that this dated approach to creativity will finally go out the window. In fact, Bossert is one of many people making the photography space more open and accessible via her courses on breaking into fashion photography.
“I’m seeing such a wonderful change in the industry of photographers wanting to help one another learn and grow even more—and I’m all for it,” said Bossert.
10. Live Streaming Will Connect Creators and Followers
The pandemic saw live streaming embraced on a massive scale, and it’s likely not going anywhere, according to Aldis.
[Live streaming] allows creators to engage directly with viewers. You can’t occupy the same space but, with live streaming, you can occupy the same time.
Eileen Aldis
Additionally, Ashray Urs, head of products at Streamlabs, says that next year will see even more live-streaming integrations. Like other forms of social media, live shows and chats will evolve beyond entertainment. They will become places to discover new products and services, develop new opinions, and connect with new communities.
“All these trends are going to lead to the emergence of more creator-friendly platforms—or else, legacy platforms are going to have to adjust their strategies to give creators the reins,” said Urs.
