Photography has changed since I got into the game back in 2013. The cameras keep changing, the styles keep changing, and now we have AI. One of the biggest changes I’m seeing on my end (and I only speak for myself) is that people want documentary-style photos. Not the perfect curated posed photos, not the boring headshot photos, not the say cheese photos. People want chaos, fun, real, and more human. I did a photo for a couple, and while I liked the photo, it was blurry. I decided to send the photo and they loved that. It wasn’t perfect; it wasn’t what I usually send, but they embraced that photo and its imperfections. So the photography trends I’m seeing for 2026 are…..
Real moments
People want real moments. When you look at the photo, you want to see the person being imperfect. You want to see the human side of the person. Within real moments, people want more of the behind the scenes. I took photos of a baker who bakes and we got some photos of her clothes messed up from baking, we got some photos of her multitasking, we got photos of her sitting down with her apron at the end of a long day. Photos that give the real moments behind the brand.
Documentary-style photos
I love documentary styles photos when it comes to family photography. As a matter of fact I tell all my clients I don’t do a lot of the posed looks. Think of me as a documentary-style family photographer. I want to capture your child looking at you crazy, I want the family cousins to have emotions in their photo like the one below.
I want the photo to tell a story, and I want to see each person in the photo’s personality through that photo.
AI after the photo is taken.
I know AI is here, but what I have seen is people taking the photo with their photographer, then taking it to AI to enhance it into something else. I am seeing that a lot these days. Headshots with a regular photographer then taking that photo and putting it in AI to change the outfit or change the hair or change the background.
Photographers are embracing chaos as a creative statement, highlighting cluttered kitchens, wrinkled clothes, uneven surfaces, and spaces that feel lived in rather than staged. Instead of perfect flat lays and pristine surfaces, brands in food, fashion, and lifestyle are embracing spills, crumbs, crooked lines, smudges, and imperfect compositions to convey honesty and approachability.
What trends are you seeing for 2026 when it comes to photos?
