Photography Consumer Insights

Skewed Celebrity Schadenfreude
Self-esteem through iniquitous photo manipulation
Implications - Nefariously skewed photographs using digital manipulation have fueled a lot of online schadenfreude. People’s engagement in creating and sharing these images alludes to a low societal self-esteem and the desire to improve feelings of self worth through defamatory products or services.
5.7
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Street Style
Real people in their daily lives are the new fashion icons
Implications - In 2007 street style blogs emerged as go-to guides for fashion inspiration. In 2008, spotting real-life outfits on global streets evolved, with sites now spotting style on subways, events and university campuses. “Real style” also featured in high fashion magazines and touched new markets this year, such as video games.
5.2
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Scarytales
Consumers embrace reality, learn life lessons and tackle troubles head-on
Implications - The economic crisis has shaken many people from idyllic lifestyles, revealing that life isn’t a fairytale. While some consumers wish to stay disillusioned, others want to face reality and are flocking to that which they perceive as honesty. These consumers don’t want us to hide from their troubles, they want to face or embrace them.
6.5
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Surreal Fairytale Photography
Surreal Fairytale Photography
Flux Fotography's 'Alice in Wonderland' Goes Down the Rabbit Hole
This surreal fairytale photo shoot by Flux Fotography reimagines 'Alice in Wonderland' in the Photoshop era. Using an array of bright colors, surreal imagery and expertly-captured photographs, the four-photo… MORE
Gruesome Fairytale Interpretations
Gruesome Fairytale Interpretations
Marina Storme Embodies a Bloody Queen of Hearts
Famed tattoo artist and muse to many, Marina Storme, along with 'The Murder in Question' horror photography company, recently looked to children's book Alice in Wonderland for some inspiration. A literal… MORE
Fairytale Boob Jobs
Fairytale Boob Jobs
Dina Goldstein Unveils Modern Truths in the Fallen Princesses Project
The Fallen Princesses project by Dina Goldstein features photos of Cinderella getting drunk in a dingy pub, Belle under the knife for plastic surgery and Snow White juggling babies while “Prince Charming”… MORE
Scarytale Photography
Scarytale Photography
Miwa Yanagi's ‘Fairytales' Series Will Keep You Up At Nigh
Miwa Yanagi creates very unsettling yet intriguing photos by displaying disturbingly fightening images juxstaposed against familiar fairytale scenes. His ‘Fairytales’ series is his take on classic Western… MORE
Morbid Fairytale Remakes
Morbid Fairytale Remakes
'Black Alice' is a Dark Twist on the Magic of Wonderland
'Alice in Wonderland' was already a rather twisted story to begin with, but the ‘Black Alice’ collection by Gisela Moscardini blows that right out of the water. Gisela Moscardini's ‘Black Alice’ collection… MORE
Illusionary Escapism
Fashion continues to suspend reality and now gravity as well
Implications - Fashion is more up in the air than ever and surrealist, fantasy imagery is appealing to those looking to escape tedium and fly free. In the fashion industry, weight has always been an issue, but editorials and advertisements that feature seemingly weightless, floating and flying models are gaining popularity.
5.5
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Emphasized Reality
Pop culture's anti-Photoshop attitude resonates with the masses
Implications - Media outlets have adopted an au naturale attitude to address the ever-expanding gap between pin-thin celebrities and the overweight North American masses. This public humanization of celebrities reflects the guerrilla one we saw in 2008 as avid Photoshop users uglified famous faces on their own.
6.5
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Woodland Styling
Fashions are drawing inspiration from the forest and its creatures
Implications - As people move to the city, nature--especially the deep forest--holds more appeal as it becomes a more foreign place. Advertisers and fashion designers are capitalizing on this intrigue by using the forest as a backdrop to produce photoshoots, editorials and campaigns with a woodland theme.
5
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Submersive Selling
Photography goes underwater to enhance “magical” attributes
Implications - Fantasy has become a unique way to appeal to the consumer subconscious and the underwater environment in particular lends itself to fantastical reverie. Applied especially to fashion photography, the use of a submerged subject allows for a dreamlike setting that may impart an enchanted element to seemingly ordinary designs.
6.1
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Optical Illusionism
Trompe l'oeils offer an intelligent escape from reality
Implications - Consumers are no longer attracted to purely "pretty" items. The incorporation of optical illusions into products coincides with the desire for items that make people think, use their imagination, while at the same time escaping from the banality of everyday life. From home design to fashion prints, things are not always what they seem.
5.2
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Barely-There Trimmings
Fashions are embracing shorter and shorter hemlines
Implications - Showing off legs with vibrant microminis is rampant this season. What’s more, these California-inspired microminis take the form of eccentric and colorful patterns in order to turn as many heads as possible. Post-recession, industries are doing anything to stand out—and what better way than exposing seductive stems?
5.4
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Mainstream Gore
Like ever-popular vampires, consumers have a thirst for the red stuff
Implications - The popularity of vampires has been holding strong, but that trend is now stripped down to the most simplistic and gruesome commodity--blood. Pop culture, marketing, business and art are looking within the human anatomy for inspiration for their products, advertisements and editorials.
4.6
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