Why The Koda Watch Photography Movement Isn’t All That You Think It Is
I promise this isn't as beefy as you think.
Hey team,
Firstly, want to shoutout to my 10 subs. You know who you are ;))
Before you go ahead and read the piece, the answer is simply texture if we’re going to give Koda any definition at all.
If you do read the piece below, please drop a comment when you finish whether you agree, disagree, think it’s more complex or that I am just flat out wrong.
Anyway, enjoy!
Why The Koda Watch Photography Movement Isn’t All That You Think It Is
I don’t know if you could tell from my last piece, but I don’t actually believe in the Koda watch photography movement.
There are a few reasons. The first is the lack of a decent definition. The second is that the definition and style aren’t really anything new. I’ve got a couple more reasons that are based on these.
But enough said. You’re not here to read ramble. Let’s dive straight in.
It’s Poorly Defined
My main issue with the Koda watch photography movement is the way that it’s defined. In my mind, it’s too broad.
Let’s think of this example. It’s generally thought that shooting in the Koda style means shooting outdoors in natural light whether that’s overcast or during golden hour. It’s quite romantic in a way.
But then some of our favourite creators that fall into this broad style shoot in a studio with studio lights. All very clean and curated. This contradicts the above part of the definition, at least in my mind.
Part of what we love about this Koda style is how raw it can feel with its storytelling and emotions, yet sometimes (I’d even go as far as saying often) there are images that we instinctively feel are in this Koda style but they’re clinical. Produced in a studio with cool colours.
The way I see it. These definitions are conflicting.
It’s Not New
The second reason is the lack of novelty with the style.
While I love the style that’s trying to be described by Koda, it’s worth taking a step back. The style has been in the watch space for nearly 2 years really, but it’s a style that’s been present in both nature and street photography for a while longer.
There was a period in street photography (I mean in the Instagram sense, I don’t know that much about other street photography) where every image looked like it was a Fujifilm in-camera film simulation. Warm tones and bumped contrast making all images look visually appealing. Fast forward to today and a lot of street photography on Instagram has moved towards cool tones and dropped shadows.
It’s not difficult then to predict that this is where the state of watch photography could be in a couple of years on Instagram too.
It’s Not About Adventure
This point is based on the above about poor definition.
Sometimes the Koda photography style throws up pieces of work that scream adventures, such as the work of @thewatchdude2 or @collector.101. These are the kind of photos where you see tool watches being tools.
I love this kind of photography, it’s some of my favourite, but the understood definition of Koda photography is that the watch is in its natural habitat. Tool watches on adventures and dress watches with more formal wear, but if I see another BB58 with a rolled-up cuff of a knitted sweatshirt in studio lighting I might flip. (I’m joking of course, but I think you get the point).
Koda watch photography isn’t about the watches being used in their natural habitat, nor is it about using natural or studio, I think it’s about something else all these images have in common if we want to define it in a more inclusive and encompassing way.
We’ll get to that in a second. (Puns are always intended).
Maybe I’ve Missed The Mark
It’s probably a bit harsh to say everyone is wrong about Koda watch photography. I understand the sentiment but it think it’s better defined by something else.
Texture.
All the images to my knowledge that fit this style of photography set out is texture. Whether it’s an image of a Rolex Explorer on wirst tying a bootlace on the side of a mountain, or the rolled-up cuff of a knitted sweatshirt with a BB58 on wrist the common feature is texture.
Highly textured images with pleasing lighting, whatever form that lighting takes, is my definition of this style.
Why Are We Segregating Ourselves?
But this all leaves one more question.
Why are we segregating ourselves into these titled watch photography styles?
Scrolling through watch photography Instagram, there are certainly a few boxes that all the photos we see fall into. But there’s definitely a spectrum between. And there’s so much variety within.
Take flatlays as an example. I can think of the work of @waitlisted being flatlay but also some of the work of @watchstudies or @watch_girl_life being flatlay. These are vastly different in terms of style, so I wouldn’t categorise them under a single style.
To finish up then, I’m not so much anti-Koda, more anti the definition and want to redefine it. We all know when we see an image in this style on Instagram, but the images are so different that maybe naming a single style is best avoided all together.
Obviously this is all an opinion and if you think differently, please leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Have a great Friday tomorrow team :))
😎 Thanks for reading! :))
👨🎓 Want to hear more about watches and watch photography among other watch-related topics?
✅ Click here to subscribe to the mailing list to never miss an article