Lifestyle photography is a kind of photography where the photographer takes photos of people in different real situations or events. The main goal of lifestyle photography is to perpetuate the history of people’s lives. Thus, it consists of different types of photography – portrait, street, reportage, product, nature, etc. The uniqueness of such pictures is that the characters look sincere, beautiful and natural.
At first glance, lifestyle photography is very similar to the reportage. But, during the reportage the photographer has no right to interfere, acting as an outside observer, who catches important moments.
In the lifestyle photography, the photographer suggests a plot and gives advice, creating a communication between him/her and his/her clients. The photographer, as a rule, chooses the place and time of the shooting, as well as lighting, to successfully harmonize the background and the light.
Lifestyle photography is a great opportunity to get beautiful, emotional photos, where a person is in his/her usual environment and is engaged in familiar activities, feeling comfortable. Undoubtedly, creating a natural image is quite difficult. But don’t worry, if you want to start this photography style. We have prepared 10 lifestyle photography tips that will help you create a sincere and beautiful image.
Unnatural smiles and a cold look at the camera are the worst enemies of any lifestyle photographer. The essence of this style is to create genuine natural images, so direct the client, but do not control. The best way to show the character of a person is to ask him to do his favorite things.
If the clients don’t understand how to behave in front of the camera, then just let them be themselves. They should not pose in the frame but live. Your job is to capture the moment of their life, but not to just put them properly. Let it be even somehow ridiculous but real.
The process of successful work is always built on trust. There must be trust between the photographer and the client, otherwise, nothing will turn out. Try to learn your model/models closer, prepossess them and find something in common.
Sometimes, if the client hesitates and cannot understand what to do while shooting, change places: invite him/her to take a camera and shoot you. This will give him the opportunity to see everything with your eyes and understand how to behave further.
Don’t hurry. Never rush to take pictures of everything. Wait a couple of minutes and look around. The world is so chaotic that something interesting will happen for sure. At the worst, a person standing motionless in the middle of the street will attract the attention of passers-by and provoke them unique emotions, which can also become an interesting story.
In our digital age, taking a photo is only a halfway. Because it still needs to be edited. Fortunately, using Adobe Lightroom in combination with a quality free Lightroom presets, you can get desired results at one moment, rather than be frustrated by an attempt to retouch it your own.
But if you don’t have a time for manual portrait retouching even with presets, actions or need deeper adjustments, then you can use the special online services. These services for a small payment will perform any portrait photo retouching in the shortest time possible. Spend spare time looking for new customers.
Sure, you can always ask the client to take this or that pose, adjust the lighting and take a few pictures without much haste. But if you want to capture a truly unique shot, then the moment of shooting is very important, because there won’t be a second chance, if it’s missed.
So, you need to rely only on your intuition and ability to observe. Watch events, foresee all possible options and choose the most successful perspective. The scene, created in the frame and photographed at the right time, will become truly remarkable and memorable.
The mood of an image depends greatly on the mood of the client. To express the true nature and feelings, you need to observe the person, since all people are different. Someone is more often serious and focused. Someone always smiles, but at the same time, when trying to make a serious appearance, he/she looks quite unnatural.
Some person can relax only in the company of close friends, and another person can easily make friends with dozens of people. Sincere picture expresses not only the external but also the internal appearance of the person.
Most often you will have to use natural light, as carrying lifestyle photography equipment everywhere is completely uncomfortable. For a better quality, it is important to understand how sunlight affects the subject. So, direct sunlight creates warm tones but also contributes to a more contrasting image. Scattered light, obtained with greater cloudiness, reduces the contrast.
The third type of light – reflected light, occurs when the sun’s rays are reflected from the surface near the object. This type of light allows you to add different shades to the subject. Thus, if you are photographing next to an object located near the red wall – a red tone will be visible on the final image.
Once you have understood the temper and mood of the client, it will be much easier for you to choose a suitable place for shooting. Think, what could correspond to the general style of shooting, for example, some picturesque terrain with wide spaces, riverbanks, lakes, hills or a park?
Maybe you want to present a subject in line with a noisy city among modern architecture, continuous movement, and crowds? Do not forget to use what is around you, especially in the rooms, this concerns doorways, windows, stairs, columns, everything can create the necessary support for the overall composition in the frame.
The best teacher is your own experience. Each time you will get better and better. Do not be afraid to ask your family or friends for help. This will give you an excellent opportunity to practice shooting techniques and at the same time will allow you to test your lifestyle photography ideas. How to tell a story through a photo?
Probably, nothing will turn out if the client does not have this story. When there is something to tell, it is read in the eyes, and you only need to catch the moment.
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