As Gen Z begins to walk down the aisle, the 2024 wedding photography scene is marked by bold, personalized expressions and a break from tradition. More and more couples are seeking unique ways to tell their love stories, opting for rich colors, innovative designs, and relaxed atmospheres, moving away from conventional wedding formats. In this blog, we highlight a few prominent trends we noticed from our users.
Key Trends
1. Bold Color Combinations: The use of saturated colors becomes particularly prominent. Couples are favoring bright shades like blue, pink, and green, moving away from the classic white and green combinations. Flowers and decorations also adopt these vibrant tones, making the entire wedding more lively and vibrant. The "Coral" AI style in Polarr Next, with its bright and bold colors, echoes this trend perfectly.
2. Non-Traditional Weddings: Many couples are breaking away from the norm, embracing the concept of "non-wedding weddings." These weddings often feature a more lifestyle-oriented approach, choosing venues beyond the conventional church or lawn and favoring more natural settings. Urban couples might opt for urban backdrops. Polarr Next's pre-trained AI style "Botanic" effectively enhances the greens in the image, with carefully adjusted overall color tones, making it an ideal post-processing style for non-traditional weddings.
3. Personalized Attire: Custom wedding attire is becoming increasingly popular, allowing couples to showcase their unique styles. This includes not only luxurious materials like silk and velvet for custom dresses and suits but also unconventional choices such as cycling gear, countryside outfits, cosplay costumes, and band apparel that reflect the couple's interests. The trend of mix-and-match attire for bridesmaids is also rising. Polarr Next's pre-trained AI styles "Fern" and "Tea," inspired by popular fashion magazine color styles, are well-suited to both luxurious and subculture-themed weddings.
4. Sustainability: The emphasis on sustainability is growing, with couples opting for eco-friendly decor, locally sourced flowers, and zero-waste catering options to minimize the environmental impact of their weddings. This trend leads to increasingly simplified wedding setups. The "Mellow" and "Cider" pre-trained AI styles in Polarr Next, with their simple color palettes, perfectly align with the limited color palette ethos advocated by sustainability.
5. Retro Influences: Nostalgic elements, such as retro photography styles and vintage cake designs, are making a comeback. This trend allows couples to incorporate fun and personalized elements into their weddings. The "Yesteryear" and "Maillard" pre-trained AI styles in Polarr Next are specifically designed to meet such demands.
Photography Trends
In the last few years, wedding photography trends lean towards candid and documentary styles, emphasizing authenticity and genuine emotion. This trend becomes more apparent in 2024. Couples increasingly prefer capturing spontaneous moments over posed portraits, reflecting their desire to tell a story through images.
1. Documentary/Photojournalistic Style: This style focuses on capturing real moments and the emotions and interactions throughout the day. It is becoming the preferred choice for couples seeking authenticity in wedding photography. Polarr Next's "BW" series presets are highly suitable for this type of imagery.
2. Slow Shutter Photography: With the growing popularity of advanced flash techniques, photographers are increasingly using techniques like rear curtain sync flash. This is often seen at lively moments such as dances, where slow shutter shots create images full of movement and strong visual impact.
3. Drone Photography: Aerial shots are gaining popularity due to their ability to provide unique perspectives. This also poses greater challenges for color grading in post-production. Different sensor sizes and varying lighting conditions can complicate color matching. Polarr Next's AI algorithms can automatically match colors across different environments and devices, maximizing consistency in the visual style. This feature is especially beneficial for photographers working in challenging multi-device scenarios.
We hope these insights inspire you to explore and adapt you style of photography and photo editing. Happy shooting!
