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Study: Vast majority of consumers consider their photography skills to be excellent

canon photography trends survey woman food photographer taking closeup of mushrooms
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Surprise! Turns out taking photos of food is officially a trend, at least according to Canon’s latest photography trends research. The study highlights not only what people are taking photos of, but also the fact that consumers are taking more photos than ever.

In fact, as many as 24 percent of people surveyed take up to 300 photos per month, which is equivalent to as many of 10 photos per day. Not only that, but most people are pretty confident in their photography skills — 80 percent of consumers think their photos are “excellent,” and 62 percent say their skills have improved in the past two to five years.

If you make fun of those who take photos of their food, turns out you’re in the minority. As much as 55 percent of consumers take photos of their food, mostly to show off a new recipe or personal creation, but sometimes also to “give friends and family FOMO (Fear of Missing Out).” It seems as though ice cream is the culprit most of the time, coming in as the most photographed dish. Photographers in the U.S. also show their patriotism through their food photography, with 43 percent primarily taking photos of American food and 22 percent snapping shots of Italian food.

While it certainly seems like selfies are a big part of our photo-taking habits, in reality more people take photos of their pets than themselves. A hefty 59 percent of people say they take photos of their pets, while only 57 percent take photos of themselves.

While these stats are certainly interesting, they’re not really all that surprising. With most people having access to digital cameras on their phones, it makes sense that more people than ever are taking photos, and mostly of everyday things, like their food and their pets.

The study itself was conducted with 1,004 individuals between April 21 and April 26 of this year.

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