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Positive Comments: Divorce photography reflects social inclusion and progress, opening up an innovative track for emotional services
The rise of divorce photographers may seem like a “niche breakthrough” in the photography industry, but in fact, it is a product of both the iteration of social concepts and the upgrading of emotional needs. The popularity of this profession demonstrates positive significance in at least three dimensions.
Firstly, it witnesses the rational transformation of society’s attitude towards divorce. As mentioned in the news, the number of divorce registrations in China reached 2.6 million couples in 2024, and the topic of “the sense of ritual in divorce” has exceeded 230 million views on social platforms. Behind these figures is the loosening of traditional marriage concepts. In the past, divorce was often labeled as “failure” and “shame.” Now, more and more young people (such as the main customer group aged 26 – 35) view divorce as a “rational choice” rather than a “stain on life.” They no longer suppress their true feelings due to the outside world’s gaze, but instead use the photographed pictures to draw a clear “dividing line” for their marriage – just as Ate regarded divorce as a “witness of growth,” and the Chen Li couple regarded marriage as an “experience” before choosing to end it. This respect for self – needs is precisely a manifestation of the improvement of social inclusiveness.
Secondly, divorce photography provides a differentiated path for the traditional photography industry to break the situation. As mentioned in the news, the traditional photography industry has been caught in the involution of “299 – yuan all – inclusive packages” and “AI generating a hundred client photos daily.” The strict requirements of customers for “backlit silhouette effects” and “earring angle parameters” have exhausted practitioners. As a “niche track,” divorce photography avoids standardized competition and emphasizes emotional resonance and personalized services. For example, Jiong Shu’s customers don’t pursue the number of retouched photos but only need a “simple and casual atmosphere.” Ate only wants a photo of “walking in opposite directions,” and the Chen Li couple used the combination of “divorce certificates and hot pot” to record their relaxed state. This non – standardization of demand allows photographers to transform from “technical workers” to “emotional recorders,” which not only relieves the industry’s involution pressure but also opens up a new dimension for the value of photography – from “recording the beautiful” to “recording the real.”
Finally, divorce photography meets the modern people’s deep – seated need for a sense of emotional ritual. Psychological research shows that the “ending ceremony” is crucial for psychological healing. It can help individuals complete the “emotional cut – off” and avoid being trapped in past obsessions. In the news, Ate regarded the divorce photos as a “mirror for deep reflection on future marriage choices,” and the Chen Li couple used the photos to “collect shared memories.” In essence, they all completed a “formal farewell” to a relationship through a sense of ritual. This ritual is not an indulgence in pain but a respect for experience – just as Jiong Shu said, “They know how to give and take, and know not to dwell on the past.” The existence of divorce photography makes “ending” no longer a vague trauma but a clear growth node, which has a positive impact on individual mental health and the positive cycle of social relations.
Negative Comments: Be vigilant about the boundaries of emotional commercialization, and the hidden concerns behind the industry’s prosperity need to be resolved
Although the rise of divorce photography sends positive signals, the immaturity and potential disputes of this emerging industry cannot be ignored.
Firstly, the label of “emotional undertaker” may cause ethical disputes. Some public opinions believe that photography should record “beautiful moments,” but divorce photography commercializes the “end of emotions” and may even be misinterpreted as “encouraging divorce.” For example, as mentioned in the news, some netizens questioned that “divorce photographers are ruining marriages.” This kind of doubt is not unfounded. When divorce is packaged as an “easy ceremony,” will it dilute the seriousness of marriage? Especially for young people who get married and divorced in a hurry (such as the Chen Li couple who divorced within less than a year of marriage), will the photography service strengthen the reckless perception that “marriage is an experience”? Although most customers make a rational choice to divorce, if the industry overemphasizes the “sense of ritual” while ignoring the value of marriage management, it may mislead the social view of marriage.
Secondly, the lack of industry standards may lead to risks in service quality and privacy. Currently, divorce photography is still in a stage of “wild growth.” The charges range from 1,000 yuan to 2,000 yuan (for example, Jiong Shu gave a 50% discount to the Chen Li couple), there is no unified standard for service content (some only take one photo, while others take three), and customer needs are highly personalized (for example, Generation Z wants an anime style, and elderly couples want close – ups of wrinkles). Although this flexibility is a characteristic of the industry, it also hides potential dangers. If some practitioners over – romanticize divorce (such as packaging the originally serious divorce process into a “fashion blockbuster”) to cater to the market, it may distort customers’ real perception of divorce. In addition, as mentioned in the news, customers generally refuse to keep the negatives. If practitioners cause privacy leakage due to non – standard operations (such as accidentally using customers’ photos for publicity), it may lead to legal disputes.
Thirdly, the commercialization of emotional services may undermine the purity of emotions. The core of divorce photography is to “record real emotions,” but when it becomes a service with a marked price, will it make emotional expression “performative”? For example, some customers may deliberately create a “relieved” state for the “shooting effect” rather than showing their true emotions. Photographers may also guide posed shots instead of naturally capturing emotions to meet customers’ needs. If this kind of “emotional performance” becomes the mainstream of the industry, divorce photography may be异化 from an “emotional witness” to an “emotional show,” deviating from its original healing meaning.
Suggestions for entrepreneurs: Focus on “emotional resonance” and find a balance between innovation and boundaries
For entrepreneurs who intend to enter the divorce photography or similar emotional service track, they need to grasp the following key points:
Focus on emotional needs rather than pure commercialization: The essence of divorce photography is to help customers complete an “emotional farewell,” so the service design should be centered around “authenticity.” Entrepreneurs should avoid over – packaging (such as forcing customers to show a “relieved” expression) and instead understand customers’ emotional pain points (such as Ate’s growth and Chen Li’s experience needs) through communication, and use the camera to capture naturally flowing emotions. For example, a “pre – shooting in – depth communication session” can be set up to understand the key memory points of customers’ marriages, and then design shooting scenes针对性ly (such as Ate’s “exit of the registration office” and Chen Li’s “hot pot party”), so that the photos can truly become “emotional specimens” rather than “posed products.”
Establish industry norms and strengthen privacy protection: To address the current lack of industry standards, entrepreneurs can cooperate with practitioners to formulate basic service guidelines (such as clarifying the charging range, service content list, and negative processing norms) to enhance the industry’s credibility. At the same time, privacy protection is the core concern of customers (customers in the news generally refused to keep the negatives). It is necessary to clearly state in the contract that “the right to use the photos is limited to the customers themselves,” and adopt technical means such as encrypted storage and limited – time deletion to avoid the risk of privacy leakage.
Be vigilant about “emotional instrumentalization” and convey positive values: Entrepreneurs need to be clear that the significance of divorce photography is to “help rational divorcees complete their farewells,” not to “encourage hasty divorces.” In the promotion, they should avoid over – emphasizing the “ease of divorce” and instead highlight the “respect for marriage.” For example, they can convey the attitude of “rational choice and brave farewell” through case stories (such as Ate seeing the essence of marriage through divorce and being more cautious in future choices) rather than promoting the one – sided perception that “divorce means liberation.”
Expand service scenarios and enhance risk – resistance ability: Currently, divorce photography is still a niche market. Entrepreneurs can expand related services around the “emotional ceremony” (such as break – up photography and records of reconciliation in parent – child relationships) to avoid business singularity. At the same time, they can cooperate with psychological counseling institutions to provide customers with a composite service of “shooting + psychological counseling,” which can increase the added value of the service and avoid the misunderstanding of “emotional performance” with professional support.
The rise of divorce photographers is a microcosm of social progress and an attempt at innovation in emotional services. It requires practitioners to take “emotional resonance” as the background and maintain the boundaries of ethics and privacy. It also requires society to view it with an inclusive but cautious attitude. After all, what is more important than “recording divorce” is to let the beginning and end of each relationship convey respect for emotions and responsibility for oneself.
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