In a world where consumers are inundated with visual content, lifestyle photography is a necessary part of any company’s marketing strategy. Not only can this type of photography draw attention to your service or product, but it also presents a unique opportunity to highlight your brand’s message and values.
What is Lifestyle Photography for Business?
Lifestyle photography is all about capturing images that reflect the way your brand lives and works. It’s about creating an emotional connection with your audience by showing them how your brand fits into their lives.
Lifestyle photography can be used to capture both the work environment of your brand and the personal life of your customers. In both cases, the goal is to show how your brand enriches people’s lives.
Work environment shots might include images of employees working together or customers using your product in their daily lives. Personal lifestyle shots could show people enjoying leisure activities, participating in family events, or going about their daily routines.
No matter what type of lifestyle photography you use, it should always reflect the positive values of your brand. Lifestyle photography should make people feel good about themselves and their relationship to your brand. It should show how your brand makes people’s lives better, easier, or more enjoyable.
Benefits of Using Lifestyle Photography for Your Brand
Kathryn Koffman from Fashionably Frank Marketing states: “If you can sell people on a lifestyle, you can sell anything relating to that lifestyle.”
There are many benefits to using lifestyle photography for your brand. It can help you connect with your target audience on a more personal level, and it can also help communicate your brand’s message and values in a more authentic way.
Lifestyle photography can help you connect with your target audience on a more personal level. This type of photography captures people in natural, everyday settings and can help create an emotional connection with your viewers. This is especially important if you’re targeting a younger demographic, as they are generally more receptive to images that evoke emotion.
Lifestyle photography can also help communicate your brand’s message and values in a more authentic way. By depicting real people using your products or services in their everyday lives, you can show potential customers how your brand fits into their own lives. This is an incredibly powerful marketing tool that can help increase brand awareness and sales.
Tips for Capturing Great Lifestyle Images
Although the time, place, and people are all chosen beforehand, the photos from a lifestyle photo shoot should offer a sense of candidness. It should stand out, but not too much, from the other images consumers will see on their social media pages.
In order to capture great lifestyle photos that accurately represent your brand, there are a few things you should keep in mind. First, it’s important to consider the overall aesthetic you’re trying to achieve. Do you want your photos to be bright and airy? Or dark and moody? Once you’ve decided on the overall look and feel of your photos, it’s time to start thinking about composition. What story are you trying to tell with your photos? What elements do you want to include?
Once you have a clear idea of the overall aesthetic and composition you’re going for, it’s time to start thinking about lighting. Natural light is always best, so if possible, try to take your photos outdoors or near a large window. If you’re taking photos indoors, make sure the room is well-lit. Pay attention to the direction of the light and how it’s impacting the photo. This is where a professional photographer will really help. If you can communicate your vision, perhaps with examples (such as a Pinterest board), he or she should be able to help you achieve the desired look.
Finally, don’t forget about styling! Even if you’re just taking casual lifestyle photos, it’s important to style them in a way that represents your brand. Choose clothing and props that reflect your brand’s message and values. By following these tips, you’ll be able to capture great lifestyle photos that accurately represent your brand identity.
Instead of a boring photo of a product on a pedestal, someone scrolling through Facebook or Instagram will see that product being used by someone—someone they want to be like. This is where your message and values get to shine.
You decide what you want the lifestyle photography images to convey.
Let’s take a purse, for example. In a lifestyle photo, someone would be using the purse. This photo would need to answer the following questions: Where are they going with the purse? What are they doing? What emotion(s) are they experiencing? If your brand values adventure, show the person hiking. If your brand values education, show them at school.
We can also consider a service. For example, accounting. In a lifestyle photo, the accountant might be at their desk, with a client. How do they look? What is their body language saying? Does the accountant appear confident? Does the client seem happy?
It takes approximately 100 milliseconds for someone to form a first impression about a stranger. You want to make sure it’s the right impression when it comes to marketing your service or product.
Morton Visuals, based in North Idaho and San Diego, can help you achieve your goal to reach consumers on a personal level with lifestyle photography. Contact us today to learn more!
