The ‘four-cut photo’, which is taken without the photographer’s instructions, freely, without notice, and in a unique pose, has become a new ‘means of self-expression’ for the younger generation. In the midst of this, there is an atmosphere where ‘high angle photos’ are establishing themselves as a new trend, especially for those who feel tired of four-cut photos.
Unlike four-cut photos, which are usually taken from the front, high-angle photos are taken with the camera looking down from above as the camera is higher than the subject, and is also called an ‘air shot’. According to the keyword analysis site Some Trend, the search volume for ‘high angle photos’ online increased by 400% from the 22nd of last month to the 21st of last month. Sharing four-cut photos based on social networking services (SNS) has become a natural culture for people in their teens and 30s, and posts related to ‘high angle photos’ can be easily found on Instagram and
TikTok . On TikTok this year, short-form (short-form) video content shared with the hashtag (#) of “photo studio taken on camera” reached about 4.9 million views.
On the 21st, I was able to see several young men and women waiting to take pictures at high angle photo studios near Hongik University, Mapo-gu, Seoul. Prior to the photo shoot, the guests scrambled to bring ‘hip props’ such as goggles and sunglasses. At a photo studio called the “originator” of high-angle photo studios, dozens of customers stood in line for 30 minutes to an hour. According to an employee here, during times when customers are crowded, you have to wait for more than 3 hours to take a picture.
A high-angle photo studio employee said, “Usually, when taking a picture from the front, I worry a lot about ‘what kind of pose to take.’ He explained, ” There are a lot of photos posted on social media , but among them, people who have a desire to take pictures that are different from others and to publicize them seem to like it.”
Lee Mo (21), a college student I met in front스포츠토토 of the photo studio that day, smiled and said, “If I can get a trendy picture for 8,000 won, it’s worth taking a few pictures.” Yoo Mo (28), a freelance writer whose hobby is taking high-angle photos these days, said, “I’ve fallen in love with the hip sensibility these days, but the high-angle photos on Instagram looked unique, so I visited.” I brought it in and try to shoot it with a different concept every time.”
At the photo studios we visited that day, young foreign tourists who visited in groups of two or three stood out. With the development of SNS sharing culture , it is understood that it is attracting great interest not only among the younger generation in Korea but also among the MZ (millennial + Z) generation in China and Southeast Asia. Syazza, 26
, from Singapore said , ” I saw it on SNS and heard that one of the must-do courses when traveling to Korea is to take a four-frame photo.” The high-angle composition seems really ‘trendy’,” he said.
The price of high-angle photos is about 8,000 won for two photos, which is twice as expensive as four photos of a lifetime. However, industry insiders explain that it is still cheaper than shooting at a general photo studio, and it has caught the attention of young people because of its unique composition.
Park Jong-hyeon (29), CEO of ‘ Movement ’ photo studio, said, “I think the factor of popularity is that we have increased accessibility to take pictures of the composition that we have only seen in celebrity pictorials at a relatively low price and without pressure.” I think they like it because they can freely pose in a moderate space and take a full-length photo shoot.”
In particular, experts interpreted it as reflecting the desire to capture the daily life of people in their 10s and 30s in a ‘different’ and ‘special’ way. It is said that the tendency to spend generously on objects that can find another freshness is reflected even in objects that are trending.
Lee Eun-hee, a professor of consumer studies at Inha University, said, “ There are so many posts on SNS every day, but when I look at the type of photos I keep looking at, I get bored and look at new ones.” I’m looking for a new composition to attract more people’s attention.”
“Now, taking four-cut photos has become a form of entertainment,” he said.