Trend Photography Guide Part IV: Location-Based Research

Many trend consulting firms offer trend tours in innovative cities.  These guided excursions introduce clients to innovative locals, shops, businesses, and cultural centers.  A litany of firms will also send designers and key employees to industry-related hot spots so they may experience the area’s trends and characteristics firsthand.  When in-person experience is not an option for a company’s employees, trend researchers can provide them with photographic explorations of key locations of interest.

Location-based trend photography can be specialized to meet clients’ particular interests.  For example, a company such as Target may wish for a visual report of the latest fashions worn by fashionable teens in Shibuya, Tokyo, or an advertising firm may require a photographic inventory of graffiti in Barcelona.  Trend photography pertaining to specific locations can also be general- a combination of fashion, art, culture, food, and other features which can be utilized to augment a more exhaustive location-based trend report (a product offered by many trend consulting companies).

Finally, location-based photography can be utilized to contrast trends across various geographic locations.  For example, food vending services can be compared across Europe, North America, and Asia.  While it would be prohibitively costly for an entire product team to explore relevant trends in cities across the world, it is relatively inexpensive for a trend forecasting firm to utilize its network of scouts to collect relevant photographs and create an effective, exhaustive visual report depicting a trend’s manifestation across key cities around the globe.