Life is rife with special moments. Some are fleeting, and others candid. But some of life’s most special events can be prepared for and should be celebrated. Lifestyle photography allows you to do just that by immortalizing these moments — giving you a snapshot of a time gone by, or an idea, encapsulated. While some photography trends come and go, lifestyle photography has persisted for a long time, and for good reason. If you are in the market for a unique photoshoot to commemorate a special event in your life or showcase a product, idea, or activity, read on and see why this type of photography is a crowd favorite, and why its marriage of the candid and the choreographed works so well!
What is Lifestyle Photography?
In the simplest sense, lifestyle photography aims to capture life in an artistic and fun way, sometimes combining candid and the staged concepts and interactions. Lifestyle photography ideas often depict the regular and mundane through fresh eyes — allowing you to appreciate everyday items, people, and places from a new perspective. While we believe that lifestyle photography can be applied to both personal and commercial projects, some of its most popular iterations are commemorative event photos or creative portrait shots.
Unlike other types of photography like portrait and product subject, lifestyle photography is inherently more personal. Because of this, lifestyle photographers carry with them more than just technical skill and equipment know-how; they also need the soul to capture life in its truest form, and the eyes to spot the money shot that captures it. The everyday enthusiast can do a good job of capturing lifestyle photography if they are familiar with the subject, but many clients leave the snapshot-taking to a professional lifestyle photography company so they can enjoy and immerse in the moment with their loved ones.
Now that you have a better understanding of what lifestyle photography is, let’s go over the different types to see if this is the genre of photography you’re looking for!
What are the Different Types of Lifestyle Photography?
Depending on who you ask, there are many ways to categorize the different types of lifestyle photography. Some photographers might categorize them as urban, outdoor, and everyday, while others would say would add portrait photography and event or commemorative photography to the list. While there are no clean-cut categories to box in the different kinds of lifestyle photography, let’s go over the five types that we mentioned for a better understanding of these lifestyle photography ideas!
1. Urban Lifestyle Photography
Urban lifestyle photography captures sprawling cityscapes and the life that breathes within them. Some brands opt for this type of photography to capture an everyday look of goods such as streetwear, skateboards, and even street food! Urban lifestyle photography is characterized by everyday hustle and bustle, and the metropolitan city vibe that the busy scenery carries.
2. Everyday Lifestyle Photography
One of the most common examples of lifestyle photography, everyday lifestyle photography is a subcategory that is distinguished by the mundane and the ordinary. Some days, there’s nothing much to commemorate other than life itself! Everyday lifestyle photography depicts our normal reality in an artistic, creative way. Using natural light and the photographer’s discretion when it comes to composition and framing, photos of this category depict ordinary activities like going to work, attending school, doing daily chores and even riding mass transportation—among many others. Some would say that everyday lifestyle photography is the root of the umbrella category.
3. Outdoor Lifestyle Photography
Marked by overarching themes and settings in nature, the outdoor lifestyle category carries a very earthy, organic vibe that depicts outdoor activities. These can range from sportier endeavors like hiking, mountain climbing in mountainous forests, or even surfing, to more social activities spent with loved ones like camping or picnics at the seaside. The focus of this type of lifestyle photography is to juxtapose the activities to scenic and outdoorsy settings.
4. Lifestyle Portrait Photography
Differentiated from its more formal counterpart by its novel concepts and interesting lifestyle photography ideas, this type of photography can be used for a variety of purposes. These artistic shoots can be utilized for editorial photos, thought-provoking artworks or even album art for musical acts, among many others. This is the most common type of lifestyle photography and can even be shot for no other reason than to express creativity or showcase the subject as their truest self.
5. Event or Commemorative Lifestyle Photography
Marked by its special attention to commemorate a big event or even a special moment, lifestyle event and commemorative photography swaps out traditionally staged and choreographed event photography for something rawer and more natural. Whether it be weddings, or birthdays, or even a warm family get-together, this type of lifestyle photography strikes the perfect balance of staged and candid, and also requires the most restraint from the photographer in charge of the shoot. The secret to a natural lifestyle photoshoot is to guide, never direct—and this category is the perfect testament to a lifestyle photographer’s skill and experience with the genre!
Now that you have a better understanding of the five lifestyle photography types, we hope that this short guide to this genre of photography will help you decide if it fits your needs. One of the keys to a successful lifestyle photography shoot is being able to communicate your concept to your photographer. Use these five types to your advantage when discussing your lifestyle photography idea for a shoot that is on the nose, and perfect for the purpose that you had in mind.
If you are looking for an experienced lifestyle photography company that has both an eye for detail, and a wealth of experience, contact us! We love hearing out our clients’ ideas and equally enjoy executing them. Whether you want to commemorate life’s special moments, or simply want to express a concept or an idea set in the mundane, allow us to capture them through our lenses. Tell the world your story and partner with us for some stellar lifestyle photography!