Nostalgia is a process of thought in modern era. It happened because we are not confident in the future and feel that something is missing in the present. Furthermore, we need ‘the past’ to be the core for holding safely. The past is a key to fulfill our life. We always imagine that the past is more beautiful than real. Nostalgia trend goes to the perception through fashion, music, movie and cloth like vintage or retro style which lead social value. That makes Nostalgia become a part of lifestyle and an important role of modern era.

 

In term of photography or cinematography, How Nostalgia could be recognized? It is necessary to investigate present popular format and compare it with past popular format. In 1940s, directors were tried hardly to show scene with steep depth of field that we could see subject in front and back clearly, for instance, Citizen Kane. Although camera at that time could produce better shallower depth of field but it was not preferable since it was believe that shooting shallow depth of field  was not professional and tasteless. 

 

In the present, we found that  music video had many favorite techniques. First is shallow depth of field. Second is hi-speed technique, making super-slow motion, that match up image in our memory which unclear (but beautiful) and slower than reality. So Nostalgia in photography and cinematography is not only copy the old style but also how image in our memory might look like.

 

And once we look at photographs that were retouched with application such as Instagram. Camera in smart phone gave us higher pixel and clearer image but people still love to distort those photographs. Someone even said that Instagram is the program to make fake sepia and shallow depth of field.  Sepia color is very well known for its meaning of past memory. Contrast and sharpness are reduced to make photographs similar to what we could achieve from film camera. Unconsciously people are searching for their past familiarity or experience.

 

Nostalgia trend won’t be out of date easily, unlike other fashion. As long as the change of present is too fast until we cannot reach, the searching for stability from the past to compensate the life will be keep continued.