The Power of Vintage: Why Imperfect Photos Feel More Real (and How Brands Use It to Build Trust)
Vintage Style Series – Part 1: The Why Behind the Look
I’m one of those photographers who gets obsessed with looks, style, and editing with intent. During a deep dive into the why behind different aesthetics, I noticed something happening in the outdoor creative space — especially in lifestyle and commercial photography.
This vintage-inspired editing style has become the signature look for several outdoor brands and photographers who want their work to feel lived rather than manufactured. You see it in major brands like Patagonia´s “stories”, Filson´s “journals”, and countless Instagram feeds where the imperfection feels more honest and lived. These major brands have used this aesthetic for years, but more brands are leaning into this “imperfect” aesthetic.
This is a kind of style that I love myself, but seeing it used so intentionally across many brands got me thinking of the “why” behind it? When everything can be artificially enhanced, there’s something refreshing about an image that showcases a bit of the flaws.
This mirrors what the Artlist 2025 Trend Report calls “The Human Renaissance” — a movement back toward authenticity and human experienced storytelling. The need for authenticity and believable content especially in a niche where it is all about the human experience will be one of the key differentiators between success and failure for brands focused on the outdoor lifestyle.
So I got it into my head to study different visual styles, use of colors and how different brands tell their “story”. This first post about the “vintage aesthetics" takes a look at why this style has become a visual language of trust, what brands are doing with it, and why authenticity in style matter more now than ever before.
Imperfect by Design: Why a Slight Fade Feels More Honest Than a Perfect Edit
In an era when our editing tools can smooth every wrinkle, erase every shadow, and saturate every sky, the choice to not perfect an image has become powerful.
The vintage editing style — with its use of contrast, faded blacks, and gentle grain — doesn’t chase perfection. It gives off this feeling of memory, atmosphere, and age. These “flaws” create a sense of honesty, inviting us to feel the vibe of our past memories.
But this isn’t just about nostalgia. It’s about signaling authenticity — the photographer was there, the light was natural, the story was a real experience, not a generated one.
Today’s digital landscape is saturated with perfection and lack of intent. Scrolling through social media, we see endless feeds of hyper-sharp landscapes, perfectly lit portraits, and AI-generated visuals that feel more perfect than human. In this visual noise, authenticity has become one of the most important aspects of storytelling. Another example of this “authenticity” is the rise of popularity of minimally edited youtube videos, with this raw approach of a creator using the mobile phone to record videos on the fly. A great example of this is the “Sam Suleck” style of content.
The faded, imperfect photo — with its soft grain and worn edges — stands out precisely because it feels imperfect and genuine. It feels real. It feels human. And for viewers increasingly skeptical of overly curated content, that authenticity cuts through the noise.
What once might have been seen as technical imperfection is now a language of trust. It tells the audience: “This wasn’t manufactured for likes — it was made to be remembered.”
You see this visual language used with intent by brands focusing on heritage, community, the human experience or the outdoors. Examples of superb use of these aesthetics can be found by studying brands like Filson, Fjällraven, and Tracksmith.
Branding the Feeling: How Filson and Fjällräven Use Vintage Style to Build Trust
The best brands don’t just sell products — they sell a feeling, a lived experience and a way of life. And more often than not, that feeling is created visually before a single word is read.
For brands like Filson and Fjällräven the vintage editing style isn’t a sales gimmick — it’s a philosophy. A style crafted with intent, value and excellent brand alignment. The style is a reflection of values these brands embody: timelessness, craftsmanship, humility, and a connection to something older than the latest “Tik-Tok” trend.
Visual Style as Brand Language
A deliberate choice of style can communicate your values before a single word is read. Muted tones, deliberate use of contrast, and natural textures convey warmth, timelessness, and honesty. The style of your edit becomes part of the story: authentic, resilient, and real.
Fjällräven: Connecting back with nature
Fjällräven takes a thoughtful valuebased contemplative approach. Their visuals support the values of patience and purpose. Their tagline “Always Nature” is a value statement aligned with their brand visuals. Soft light, muted tones, and unfiltered textures evoke a sense of Scandinavian simplicity and outdoor heritage.
Their “Explore” page and journal-style features focus on real experiences. The visual style becomes a reflection of their philosophy: grounded, thoughtful, and designed to last.
When I look at their photography and brand materials, it doesn’t feel like I’m being sold to. It feels like an invitation — to breathe, to pause, and to remember that this connection to nature is something we humans are meant to return back to.
Filson: Rugged and Lived-In
Few brands embody the rugged aesthetic like Filson. Filson carries a legacy born from necessity — outfitting gold rush adventurers, timber workers, and pioneers of the North. Their visuals reflect this exact spirit: resilient, purposeful, and shaped by real-world demands.
The imagery used by Filson doesn’t feel curated for an algorithm. It feels like documentation — tough landscapes, functional layers, and environments that demand more than just aesthetics. Their content carries a grit that aligns with their core: durability, trust, and experience forged through hardship.
While Fjällräven invites you to pause and breathe, Filson’s visuals are a push into the outdoors — they’re more action-driven, direct, and steeped in energy. The vintage aesthetic here doesn’t feel nostalgic; it feels more like a clear statement: proven gear, real use, no fluff. It’s the type of imagery that says long days, dirty boots, and gear that earns its place.
This visual identity has also found its way into popular culture. Filson’s jackets and shirts are featured in the hit TV series Yellowstone. The show’s gritty, authentic portrayal of the American West has become a cultural phenomenon — and Filson’s presence in it isn’t accidental. It reinforces the brand’s alignment with values like resilience, heritage, and a grounded connection to place.
Why It Builds Trust
This aesthetics doesn’t sell a fantasy — they invite you in to share a human experience. The images look like something you could have taken with your old film camera or taken yourself on your last trip. They build trust not with polish, but with the vibe of a shared experience, and something real. These two brands both use a vintage film like aesthetic to support their brand message, but in different ways.
Authentic by Contrast: Why the ‘Old Look’ Stands Out in a World of AI-Polished Content
We’ve entered an era where nearly everything can be perfected — or fabricated. AI tools can generate flawless product shots, fill in skies, and remove every trace of human imperfection with a single prompt. This has created a crisis of believability. I often get the question, “Is this AI”?
In this landscape, the old look has taken on a new meaning. What was once retro is now reassuring. The grain, the fade, the contrast, the softness — they tell you that a person stood behind the camera, made choices, and didn’t let a machine smooth out the story.
This isn’t a rejection of technology — it’s a reminder of where the value still lies: in the human eye, in the emotional intent, and in the imperfection that is inherently tied to being a human.
Adventure, at its core, is about experience. We are moved by stories of real places, real people, and real challenges. We trust what’s been lived, not what’s been rendered.
When everything can be generated instantly, authentic and real will become a scarcity. An image with a real story behind it, now holds more weight than a flawless one with none.
Final Thoughts: Editing With Intention
In the end, the vintage look isn’t about chasing the past — it’s about honouring what’s real. As creators, we’re not just editing for aesthetics; we’re shaping how our work feels. And right now, what people crave is something that feels honest. The two brand examples I use in this post both utilize a vintage or film like aesthetic, but the use of different color palettes, contrast, motives and composition communicate different statements.
Your use of fade, contrast, grain and color palette, — they do more than look good. They shape your message and how the viewer experiences your work.
In a world rushing toward the artificial, that choice still matters.
This is a blog series about photography styles and a detailed look into editing for this look will be published soon