MELVILLE, N.Y., May 11, 2016 – May is National Photography Month and to celebrate, Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, is revealing consumer trends that are taking the world of photography by storm.

Consumers today have more confidence behind the camera, according to the 2016 Photography Trends Study released today by Canon U.S.A. With 80 percent of consumers rating their own photography skills as good to excellent, and 62 percent boasting that they think their snapping skills have improved in the past two to five years, the desire to capture, share and save memories through the power of the image with friends and family is clearly on the rise.

And as more and more images are uploaded to social media platforms, consumers are still looking to preserve their memories with tangible prints. Nearly two out of four (64 percent) of those surveyed indicated that they are likely or somewhat likely to print their photos after taking them. Once printed, many consumers are also getting crafty with their photos, with 32 percent of the respondents creating scrapbooks or photo books, and one quarter using their prints to decorate their homes.

Camera Confessions: 2016 Photography Trends

Count it out! One in four (24 percent) consumers are taking up to 300 photos per month.

Pets, family and events really rate: We’re a nation of animal lovers, with over half (59 percent) taking more photos of their pets, than selfies (57 percent). Almost two-thirds (64 percent) report taking photos of their family and special occasions more than anything else.

Memorable Moments Matter: The majority (80 percent) are capturing photos during family gatherings and holidays, like Memorial Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas and Hanukkah. Interestingly, photos at the gym are only taken by 16 percent of consumers.

Video is hotter than ever: More consumers are using their cameras for capturing video. Almost one in five (17 percent) are using their cameras to create content to be used online, with ‘velfies’ (video selfies) also gaining popularity – half of consumers (50 percent) are using their cameras to capture video of themselves.

An Increased Appetite for Food Photography

With more than 178 million photographs on Instagram tagged with #food, food photography continues to be a big trend and passion point amongst consumers. More than half of consumers (55 percent) take food photos to show off a personal creation or new recipe. More than one in four consumers (27 percent) admit they share photos of food to brag and to give friends and family FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out).

Overall, the study also uncovered that as a nation we are true patriots when it comes to food photography. Almost half (43 percent) confirmed that American cuisine inspires most of their food photography with Italian cuisine coming in second place (22 percent), and Japanese and Chinese in third (nine percent) and fourth (seven percent).

What’s the hottest dish trending? Decadent ice cream dishes tops out as the most commonly photographed dish (51 percent), with pizza and pasta also coming in close behind as fan photo favorite dishes (44 percent and 42 percent respectively).

This month, join in the fun and grab a Canon EOS or PowerShot digital camera, PIXMA printer, a bowl of colorful ice cream, your favorite pet and gather the family around to celebrate National Photography Month.

About the Canon 2016 Photography Trends Study

The Canon 2016 Photography Trends Study was conducted online with 1,004 adult U.S. general population respondents. The survey was conducted by Toluna, between the dates of April 21 - 26, 2016.

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.

Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions to the United States and to Latin America and the Caribbean (excluding Mexico) markets. With approximately $31 billion in global revenue, its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), ranks third overall in U.S. patents granted in 2015† and is one of Fortune Magazine's World's Most Admired Companies in 2016. Canon U.S.A. is committed to the highest level of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all of the products it distributes. Canon U.S.A. is dedicated to its Kyosei philosophy of social and environmental responsibility. In 2014, the Canon Americas Headquarters secured LEED® Gold certification, a recognition for the design, construction, operations and maintenance of high-performance green buildings. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company's RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss and follow us on Twitter @CanonUSA. For media inquiries, please contact pr@cusa.canon.com.

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† Based on weekly patent counts issued by United States Patent and Trademark Office.