Now let me get this straight I am a commercial photographer creating content not a content creator! Social media is one of the biggest media types these days so of course us commercial trained photographers are going to work on projects specific for this media type at some stage and looking back at 2025 for me it’s been another year with a large volume of my commercial photography being created for specific social media purposes, whether that be for ads or organic for local and global brands through a mix of still photography and video … and yes 9×16 is still king. I even had a couple of these projects created for social purposes and then adapted for OOH and other adverting needs, what a total mirror from 10 years ago!
As a commercial photographer in Sydney this change over the past 4-5 years from me has been challenging and required a lot of growth and learning but is something that I have embraced. The nature of socials is to be more authentic and less polished “Real’. If you know my background and style this initially was a challenge for me as I traditionally have been more clinical and technical in my execution however I have found a mid-ground still letting my style shine through and It has allowed me to be more creative as the less polished look gives you a bit more creative freedom as the concept becomes the focus, I have found this has also offered growth to my traditional advertising photography specific projects translating some of the skills and approach to these projects.
Brands are also coming more directly for bookings allowing a lot more involvement in the creative and production process of projects which is something that I have embraced, it’s about evolving in our craft to continue to be relevant to clients and the industry’s needs. Ai still seems to be a major concern to a lot of people however I find my unique creative ideas still give me standout and preference for brands to use, the widespread idea of the ‘fake’ Ai and the lower traction and less desirable content has also help with authentic traditionally created pieces of content.
Looking forward to continue to create in 2026 no matter what media it’s for!