From Instagram marketing to Lightroom, technology has long influenced the world of professional photography. Staying on top of the latest trends is often necessary to maintain a creative edge, improve your workflow or find new ways to grow your business. So what are the latest tech trends that could make an impact on the photography world? Here’s just four of them.
Drones
Professional photographers are often chosen for the way they see the world, that “eye” that allows them to find moving, creative compositions in the chaos. Drones are a new way to take that perspective up a notch. With a view from the sky, details that can’t be seen from the ground emerge, objects become shapes and the size of the scene is easy to see.
Drones are one of the tech trends that photographers should be most cautious about, however. Most areas have several rules and regulations that require commercial drone pilots to be certified. Drones are also expensive, yet they carry significantly more risk than a camera, since a malfunction means dropping out of the sky. Still, for photographers that already have that skill set, areas that have a big need for aerial photography or large scale businesses that could add a pilot to the team, drone photography could be a pretty big opportunity.
360 Photography
Along the opposite line, 360 photography eliminates much of the composition control because everything is included. No, wedding photographers won’t be leaving their DSLRs at home in favor of a 360 camera, but it could be a lucrative add-on.
360 photography is a popular option for real estate photographers — and has been for some time. Now that 360 is entering the mainstream and anyone can view it, the medium could be breaking into new markets, from event photography to videography.
Portable Printing
On-site photographers take note — printers are becoming more and more portable. While small printers don’t offer the same quality level as a large format printer, that immediacy could be a big perk for some photographers. Just imagine a wedding photographer that can hand out instants at the reception, while still delivering the high quality prints to the couple later on.
Bluetooth
The smartphone isn’t taking over the professional DSLR — but it is proving to be a pretty handy tool. Pro photographers can now instantly share almost just as easily as photos shot from a smartphone using a Bluetooth connection. Unlike cameras with a wi-fi connection, Bluetooth doesn’t require as much power, so it’s possible to maintain a constant connection.
That constant connection is just coming out with some new possibilities — Nikon, for example, will do automatic backups with Bluetooth-enabled cameras and SnapBridge. The auto back-ups aren’t full size (or RAW), but with the technology in it’s infancy, more Bluetooth features could be coming in the next few years and to more brands.
Photography is an art, but it’s a medium that is heavily influenced by technology. Understanding the latest trends can help photographers identify where to go next or even how to reach their target audience.