VisualGPS Creative Trends Culture Rewriting the Visual Story of British Teenagers and Boomers

For too long, commercial imagery has defaulted to shortcuts: From teenage boys portrayed as screen‑obsessed loners to Boomers depicted as fragile or disconnected from life. These stereotypes flatten entire generations, obscuring the complexity and vitality of real people. Getty Images’ VisualGPS research makes the gap undeniable—nearly half of British consumers say they rarely see people over 70 shown in romantic relationships while visuals most popular with UK customers show teenage boys as passive isolated figures. It's time to change the picture. 
 
Earlier this year, our Creative Direction team set that shift in motion planning a Create by Getty Images event in Newcastle, UK—an ambitious, insights‑driven production designed to rebuild how these age groups are represented. In partnership with one of our UK creators SolStock and their in‑house model agency TTM Management, we curated a diverse group of local talent to shoot differentiated content. Our shared purpose: To create imagery grounded in authenticity—real people, real relationships, real joy. Ultimately, we brought together more than 30 teenage models and a dynamic community of seniors to set the scenes and be part of this journey with us.  
 
Before the first shutter clicked, the Creative team hosted an in‑depth online briefing to walk the creators through insights and data, the representation gaps and the narrative goals behind focusing on these underrepresented age groups. By understanding why these stories were chosen and how the visuals needed to evolve, the creators were prepared to build richer, more accurate narratives throughout the weekend’s planned shoots. 

Young, diverse and deeply community‑oriented, the city offered the perfect backdrop, especially with the need for authentic British content to grow. Shooting in real schools, neighbourhoods and communal spaces enabled our creators to ground their work in authenticity that customers are seeking. The event strengthened two major visual pillars for Getty Images: The BBC Kids Collection and the Disrupt Aging Collection. 

Visuals most popular with UK customers in the last 12 months reveal:  

• Teen boys are more often shown studying alone, rather than collaborating. 
• Just two in 10 images show teenagers in outdoor activities. 
• Ethnically diverse teenage boys—especially African and South Asian teens—are significantly underrepresented, particularly in group or active settings. 

Over the weekend, creators captured teenagers in ways that felt genuine and recognisable. For example, collaborating in classrooms, testing out STEM challenges, cooking in food technology sessions, taking part in outdoor extra‑curricular activities, trying apprenticeships and socialising with friends. 

For older generations, the lens shifted to meaningful relationships, both personal and with a community. Gone were narratives of frailty, replaced with visual stories that celebrate the richness of life beyond 70. 

One of the event’s major achievements was assembling such a broad and diverse cast of teen boys, a demographic notoriously challenging to secure for stock photography. With support from TTM Management, the event achieved what many creators struggle to do individually: Assemble a large cast that felt natural, comfortable and authentically reflective of local communities. 

Having our Creative team on set provided creators with real‑time support—fine‑tuning scenes, sharpening quality and ensuring consistency across the event. Pre‑event webinars and on‑site collaboration unified creators’ approaches, mitigating duplication of concepts and encouraging cohesive storytelling. But something deeper occurred: CONNECTION! Creators exchanged ideas, problem‑solved together and inspired one another. Events like these reinvigorate the creative process. Being on set, reminds us why our craft matters. It sharpens our skills, strengthens our relationships and deepens our commitment to storytelling and story‑making. 

Most importantly, it reinforces a shared belief: Real stories deserve to be told with honesty, depth and heart.