It’s no surprise that with a continuous upgrading of technology, there are big trends coming down the pike. As a photographer and aspiring professional, I need to use these trends to my advantage. The most interesting to me as a photographer is the rise of virtual reality, live videos, and 360-degree images/videos.
Virtual Reality – I’m weirded out by virtual reality more than I am excited about it: It’s a trend that’s hitting us so fast, and those that have read Fahrenheit 451 can probably relate to my nervousness. Virtual reality allows the user to submerge themselves into an alternate experience, whether it be an event on the other side of the planet, a different timeframe, etc.
What I’ve seen from virtual reality so far is fairly shallow, but I anticipate by the end of this year a lot more people are going to be using it, and I’m going to have to learn to accept that. As virtual reality becomes more popular, and certainly more advanced, I will have to learn how to generate advertisements that utilize virtual reality.
Live Video – As any “trend” begins, most people hate it: This was the case for me with live videos. I’ve seen people post live videos of themselves at concerts, brands showing new products, and drag artists doing their makeup transformations. The benefit to live videos is that they engage the audience and allows the video creator to interact with their participants in real time.
Occasionally I make live videos of myself doing makeup: It’s fun to see reactions and make conversation with people in real time rather than seeing how many “likes” you get after the video is published. Live videos create a more authentic experience between the creator and participant.
As I brand my photography business, I need to use live videos on photo shoots or while setting up art shows so my audience can see what work I’m currently making. Live videos are a great way to get people interested, but I believe they should be balanced out with other types of posts as to not become repetitive.
360-Degree Video/Images – This is a trend I believe is going to get better with age, and especially since virtual reality already uses 360-degree video/images. Alongside live videos, 360-degree videos and images are a unique way to see everything at once. The types of content I’ve seen use 360 video/images are concert venues and bands, live events, protests, etc. These videos and images bring you in to an experience as if you are actually there, much like virtual reality.
You feel like you’re actually apart of what you’re viewing, making it an excellent choice for promoting large events and (for myself) photo shoots. Do I think 360 videos/images are going to get old fairly quickly? Yes. Do I think they are going to benefit from the combination of both live content and virtual reality? Also yes.
Technology is always changing, and that’s never going to stop. 2017 is going to bring technological advancements that engage your audience more and allow advertisers/marketers to see what they are or are not doing well instantly. We will be able to learn more about our brands and gain active participation between our fans. It might be weird at first, but technology is going to make advertising a lot easier.
Short and Sweet 