Photography Trends
 

Hi people, there seems to be so many trends in photography that come and go. What are some of your pet hates and why? Doing some research for a presentation and would be grateful for some discussion and other photographer's thoughts.

Thanks
KaceyJay

Off the top of my head I can think of several.

1) Overdone HDR
2) Overdone effects in Photoshop to try and cover poor composition and technique and then call it art. If it is garish or messy or weird it must be good? Wrong!!!
3) Overdone filters purely for effect.

Basically all three hates are variations of the same thing, trying to make a silk purse out of a sows ear then calling it art.

4) A photo is deemed poor in some circles if it does not follow the accepted norm e.g. water falls or any running water has to be blurred these days, frozen movement shots of moving water is a perfectly valid alternative that is just not accepted.

There are a few for starters, I am sure there are many more!

A snapshot (a photo where the photographer hasn't considered composition, subject, lighting etc) that has had some instant, one-click processing applied, given a title and then regarded as a work of art.

I agree with Mike's points.

Another of mine is dogged adherence to reality. Every time we make a lens focal length choice, or aperture, or shutter speed, or compositional decision we are presenting a scene in a way that may be different to 'normal' viewing so why is flipping an image, or closing out a distraction so bad?

Any photo taken first thing in the morning or last thing at night featuring a few boulders in the foreground, a sweep of water in the middle leading to a headland in the background.

Plus any photo (taken from exactly the same position as everyone else) of Buachaille Etive Mor, Durdle Dor or Bamburgh Castle.

Here's a selection of my pet hates;
Overdone processing/filtration
The 'velvia' look - oversaturated colour and boosted contrast in landscape images
The majority of fashion photography images (it's just another picture of a face/body wearing clothes - though portrait photography that captures something of an individual's character is a different matter)
Slavish compliance with the 'rules' of composition and subject matter, both in making and reviewing images.

Mind you, I'd prefer to give a list of some of my likes!
An image with something individual about it, whether in subject matter, lighting, composition.
An image that transports me to the place/time it was made
An image that makes me look more than once, that doesnt lay it all out on a plate for me (e.g. many sunset images are spectacular, but once you've said 'Wow' about the sky, it has nothing else to offer)

Try not to have pet hates. Think if someone can see something they like in an image and I don't its me that's missing out.
However trite, run of the mill images don't interest me. Could be because I take too many of them.
Don't mind over worked images or ones that have little to do with reality.
Ok, one pet hate landscapes / seascapes that are sharp from front to back and over loaded with too much detail.

I guess that the trends in photography are just like all other trends through out life. Do I think that some look daft and i would not follow? Yes I do but that is my choice in the way that I view something. The next person to read this post will not have the same view as you or I.
There are merits to all trends along with the down sides:eek:
Some times you just need to step back and take another look and you may just see somethingthat blows your mind even if it's one in ten thousand pictures.

Some trends have more merit than others.

+1, Everybody sees something different in every image.

Dave