Another subset of ethnography, garbology is the study of human behavioral patterns via observation of waste. A visual analysis of human detritus can reveal not only patterns of eating, working, travel, and leisure, but also a wealth of details regarding local infrastructure, packaging, waste management, and cultural values.
Human observation, one of the larger subsets of ethnographic research, can be greatly augmented by photography. In the context of trend spotting, photography can reveal new behavior, innovative solutions, and creative practices as seen in the field.
In addition to video footage, written observation, purchase tracking, and interviews, photography is frequently utilized in ethnographic studies. Though ethnography is used across the entire field of market research, it is especially helpful with trend analysis as it can be utilized to identify trends before significant changes take place in mainstream society.
Food photography is just as relevant to the food and beverage industry as fashion photography is to designers and clothing retailers. Food photography can be utilized for inspiration, trend spotting, and general competitive research. There are two significant subsets of food photography that are relevant to trend researchers: culinary photography generated by food innovators and opinion leaders, and field shots generated by researchers searching for new and interesting developments.
Below are some guidelines that can help you not only find and visually capture trends of interest, but also return from shooting with photographs that accurately document that which you wish to analyze.
As you know, I published a book on trend photography for fun, and since I’m not really out to sell it or anything, I thought I’d share the text and some of the photos with you. Hence I’ll publish it bit by bit over the next couple of weeks or so. I’ll start with the intro- here goes!
Guess what? I’ve written a book on trend photography!
Loic Bizel, originally from France, is the founder of FashionInJapan.com, a trendspotting resource focused on Japanese developments. The site shares fresh street fashion photos of the latest trends, a monthly newsletter, “it” keywords of the season, and as of this October, a Season Report. In addition to providing online content, Loic Bizel leads Tokyo Fashion Tours [...]
