What Is Lifestyle Photography?

Lifestyle photography goes beyond your standard portrait or product photo. From a commercial perspective, it involves the application of a product or brand in a real-life setting. In my experience as a Los Angeles commercial lifestyle photographer, I have worked with models and photographed products with a distinct style to fit a certain aesthetic and tell a story.

Lifestyle photography isn’t as straightforward of a genre as food photography or landscape photography. In fact, it can encompass other niches in photography (like lifestyle portraits or lifestyle product photos).

Lifestyle vs. Portrait Photography

Lifestyle and portrait photography are very closely related - so much so that lifestyle portraits can be considered as a genre in itself. The biggest differentiation that I usually make between a portrait shoot and a lifestyle shoot with a model is that portraits are explicitly staged for the camera. 

For example, headshots are more closely related to portraits and wouldn’t be considered lifestyle. The point of a headshot is to capture the model’s face and features with a standard composition looking straight to the camera.

Lifestyle photography, on the other hand, involves capturing a scene in a more authentic way and doesn’t look staged (even though planning is usually involved).

Lifestyle Product Photography

Lifestyle product photography involves showing a product in its environment or exploring how it can be used in someone’s daily life. While you don’t necessarily have to feature a model, having a subject using your product can diversify the final images of a product shoot and give you more to work with.

Compared to standard e-commerce product photos with white background, you can get more creative with lifestyle photography and focus on your brand’s specific aesthetic. In this scenario, we can be more focused on seeing your product in action rather than photographing the specific features.

Location Matters

I’m bringing up this point not just because I’m an outdoor photographer, but utilizing location is a huge part of lifestyle photography. 

Unlike a headshot with a typical white or gradient background (or an e-commerce product photo with a white background), taking advantage of your location is a great way to bring out authenticity to a shoot.

How To Prepare For Lifestyle Photoshoots

For any lifestyle photoshoot I produce, I like to prepare a mood board of ideas featuring the location, wardrobe ideas and posing ideas if a model will be in the shoot, as well as an overall aesthetic for the final images.

Unless the lifestyle photoshoot is for a specific clothing brand, I’ll usually ask the model to bring clothing without any distracting patterns or graphics, and that will match the mentioned aesthetic.

Sometimes props can be a very useful tool to bring if it fits the theme of the photoshoot. It can be a great way to have the model interact with an item and make the scene look more believable.

Final Thoughts

This term might be very overused (especially in the field of photography) but authenticity is the biggest indicator of a lifestyle photoshoot. One of the biggest benefits of incorporating lifestyle photography in a brand’s commercial marketing and advertising is that it allows consumers to envision themselves using that brand or product (whether it’s a watch, sunglasses, or a travel bag). 

Despite the differences lifestyle photography has compared to other niches, it’s still important to consider general photography techniques like lighting and composition in your image to make the most out of each photoshoot.

I appreciate you taking the time to read this post and I hope you found it helpful. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or would like to book a session. Until next time.

Feel free to explore some behind-the-scenes of lifestyle photoshoots here in Los Angeles:

Sunrise Outdoor Lifestyle Photoshoot in Santa Monica Beach

Luxury Watch Outdoor Lifestyle Photoshoot at Venice Beach, Los Angeles

Sunset City Lifestyle Photoshoot in Downtown Los Angeles

Creative Commercial Beach Campaign Photography in Santa Monica