What is lifestyle photography?
Monday 22 July 2019, 20:02 by Kiri Pruntel | 9,851 views | 0 commentsThis article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.
Lifestyle photography. You are sure to have come across the term recently, as it is a trending topic in photography! From influencers on Instagram to your favourite blogger, and in commercial photography too, it is booming.
But what exactly is lifestyle photography? And how does it differ from documentary photography? Or from those posed images of babies in a studio setting that we all know? Read on, because in this blog I will tell you all about lifestyle sessions!
Lifestyle newborn and family photography
I am a lifestyle newborn and family photographer myself. So I will tell you more about lifestyle baby photography, but in principle you can use the term lifestyle for almost any type of photography where you photograph people.
When I tell people that I am a lifestyle photographer, I usually have to explain it a little. So I do not photograph children in a studio? You know, on a blanket wearing a cute little hat? Well, no. Not really. Far from it, in fact. The aim of photographing from a lifestyle perspective is to photograph people as they really are.
No static or posed images, but the 'in between' moments where the interaction, and the love, between people is captured clearly. This allows you to tell their story and shows who they are in the images. But does this mean that you do not give any direction as a photographer? That is not the case either.
The photographer's role during a lifestyle photoshoot
During a lifestyle photoshoot, the focus is mainly on the interaction between the different people present. In my case, these are families with newborn babies or sometimes older children too.
During a session, this is what I focus on, and I ask families to do different things that bring out this interaction and give you a wide range of images. The photoshoots always take place at people's homes or on location, depending on the children's ages.
Before I start a photoshoot, I often think about the feeling I want to come through in the images. In the case of a newborn photoshoot, this is often intimacy and the pure essence of a newborn baby. The focus is mainly on lots of cuddles, with mum and dad together with their little one on the bed or sofa.
I also always take a wide range of images, such as some individual portraits of the baby, close-ups of those tiny toes and hands, one of their first baths, and any brothers and sisters are included too.
In principle, we photograph everyday life, but we do decide together which activities we are going to do. The choices we make together depend on the needs of the child and the parents themselves.
During the session, I will also regularly give the parents and other family members some direction. For example, asking them to give an extra cuddle or point out where the baby's little nose is. This gives you dynamic images that also show the intimacy of a brand-new family.
When you photograph older children, or when a family session takes place on location, for example, the photoshoot works slightly differently. Older children's attention spans are a little shorter, so as a photographer you are also the person who needs to give the children little 'tasks' to keep them interested in the photoshoot.
When I had just started as a lifestyle photographer, I sometimes thought that if you had found a beautiful location and people who looked wonderful in front of your lens, the photos would create themselves.
But nothing could be further from the truth. During a session, it is helpful for everyone present, the photographer as well as the families you are photographing, to think of little prompts or games so that the families focus more on each other instead of your presence.
For example, doing a little dance, having a huge group cuddle, sitting on dad's shoulders for a moment, playing tag... the options are endless. Remember to vary your position and perspective during the session too, so that you get a wide range of images.
Do not be afraid to get close either, as this allows you to capture all those beautiful details! Above all, have lots of fun yourself and dare to experiment. Your enthusiasm and playfulness will show in your images.
About the author
Kiri Pruntel is lifestyle newborn en familie fotograaf bij Oh Baby Photography en is afgestudeerd in 2015 als fotograaf bij de Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht. Zij woont samen met haar man en zoon in Utrecht.
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