Trend spotting: Cinemagraphs
Where I once saw GIFs flooding my RSS feeder or Tumblr feed, I’m noticing a new breed of image sauntering its way into internet culture. The Cinemagraph looks like a still image on first glance but feature a subtle area of movement. From hair blowing in the breeze, steam from a coffee cup or the sparkle of a sequin on a high-heel; the motion is “blink and you miss it”.
In an article with The Atlantic, one half of the duo behind this trend Jamie Beck says they are “something more than a photo but less than a video”. Beck (a photographer) and her partner in crime Kevin Burg (a web designer with a background in motion graphics) are based in New York and believe “there something magical about a still photograph – a captured moment in time – that can exist outside the second the shutter captures.”
What fascinates me is the subtlety of the movement. Often you have to look at the image for a moment before realising what elements has been animated. It is simple in it’s beauty. What excites me is the potential cinemagraphs have for branding and advertising for use on websites or digital campaigns. For example, look at their use during New York Fashion Week. I see it lending itself quite nicely to food, lifestyle, travel websites.
You can view Jamie and Kevin’s creations on their Tumblr, From Me To You or on their official website.
Yours in cinemagraph,
Justine.