I’m a lifestyle photographer
What does it mean?
I think it helps to compare lifestyle images with some more traditional family portraiture.
These are much more traditional family portraits where the focus is more on capturing photos of everyone smiling and looking at the camera.
These are the types of images that most clients like to have for their annual holiday cards or to give as grandparents' gifts.
There is so much value in this type of photography.
I don’t think that lifestyle photography should eliminate or take away from traditional portraiture. One isn’t better than the other. They are just different styles and each has its approach. I also think it’s ok to have a little combination of both styles within our session.
So here I’m going to give you some examples from my experience.
When I think back on my childhood and when I look through my images, I like those traditional portraits (1st collage).I love that these photos show what our family looked like through the various stages of our growing up years.
However, there are a lot of times when I wish I could look back and see not just what our family looked like, but more what we were like. How did we interact, what were the things that we loved doing together?
I do have a few photos that are more like lifestyle images. (2nd collage). I’m almost getting teary-eyed when I look at these images right now because they are so much more than just a portrait.
These images are so special to me because they show our childhood and our personalities. I love that these moments are documented for me. I’m so grateful for having these images.
For me having these few images that I treasure and that are so special to me is one of the main reasons why I decided to offer lifestyle sessions.
Connection
I want to always capture beautiful images that showcase connections between family members. I love images that show all of those little nuances and details between parents and their kids. The laughing, smiles, sweet snuggles, and the silly moments as well. These things are all important moments of connection that the family will want to remember and hold on to.
Real-life
It’s important to me that my lifestyle photography reflects the real-life moments of my clients. I don’t want to impose something on them or force them to do something that they wouldn’t normally ever do.
WHERE?
Lifestyle images can take place either outdoors or indoors.
They can be at the family's coffee shop, in the library, at the park, or on a walk. Or they can take place inside of your home in your environment. And that is what I am focusing on most of the time.
