5 Lifestyle Photography Tips: Get The Perfect Shot!
Lifestyle photography is the most versatile, broad, and dynamic genre of photography. Look around, and you can snap pictures of anything such as daily life, candids, environmental pictures, fine art, home decor, and much more. Even specific types of still-life pictures also come under lifestyle—for example, images of coffee cups and breakfast in a cafe. Understanding the art of capturing still life in detail would undoubtedly help you with lifestyle photography. So, if you want to nail the perfect shot, here are some photography tips for you.
5 Key Lifestyle Photography Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Shot
1. Keep It Real
Lifestyle photography is supposed to be real and candid. No portraits or planned poses. The pictures should look natural and relatable. Even though there shouldn’t be arranged props or anything, you can certainly use your creativity. The aim is to make things seem real. Everything around you is lifestyle photograph worthy. And everything that you arrange to look real is allowed too. The first rule—keep it real!
2. Be Spontaneous and Spot the Right Moment
First thing first, keep your camera handy All. The. Time. Thankfully, with lifestyle photography (and these tips!), every picture is a great picture. So you mostly won’t need to press the delete button. Although, to get the perfect picture, spot the perfect moment. Timing is everything. Be Spontaneous and experiment a bit.
3. Plan the Photoshoot Beforehand
Everything about lifestyle photography seems candid. Sure it is. But you still have to plan everything. The locations, time, weather, surrounding props, and many more things. Most importantly, if you are capturing models/people, they must be comfortable with your plan. prepare your bag of equipment so you won’t forget anything. To ensure you have the right camera for the job, an online camera comparison should help you out.
Make yourself aware of all the locations, the best places to choose, and the right time to be there. And, not to mention, prepare your bag of equipment so you won’t forget anything. So, make a list of things and outline the photoshoot. Because planning beforehand will encourage a successful shoot.
If you know you can’t get the weather to cooperate or don’t have access to the great outdoors but want this look for your photos you can try a summer or winter backdrop to beautifully accomplish the desired look.
4. Tell The Story
Lifestyle pictures are storytellers. A simple picture of 4 friends hanging out laughing tells a lot about their friendship. Don’t just capture a photograph. Capture a story.
It’ll be helpful for you to shortlist some themes. For example, parents having a playdate with their children or students studying together in a park. A theme would be a gateway to the story.
If you are capturing pictures for your clients, try to understand their daily life. Ask them questions and prepare scenarios. Focus on actions instead of planned poses.
5. Finalize Camera Settings
Last but not least is the technical aspects of the photoshoot. As you are capturing candid pictures at the right moment, the shutter speed, Lens, ISO, everything matters.
Let’s talk a bit about camera settings that can work in most situations. For starters, a 50mm prime lens would be the best choice. You can snap wide-angle pictures even in low light. So the interior shoot can also be done. If you are planning to capture zoomed pictures, it’s best to keep a zoom lens handy. MFT lenses are also a great versatile option for your photoshoot needs.
As you are capturing real life, the perfect moment won’t wait for your camera to be ready. So to avoid missing the shot, try Burst mode (AKA continuous shooting mode). However, please don’t rely on it. Trust your instincts.
Now comes the question of whether to use flash? In most cases, the answer would be NO. It’s best to snap lifestyle pictures in natural light around the location. For indoor shoots, window light or environmental light is your way to go.
And finally, edit the pictures afterward to maintain consistency. Don’t overdo it, of course, but a little bit of post-processing is necessary.
Go Take the Perfect Picture!
The above tips will certainly make your next photoshoot fantastic. Focus on actions, emotions, authenticity, and you’ll have a story-telling snapshot. Experiment with various sub-genres of lifestyle photography. So what are you waiting for? Plan the shoot, grab your camera and click a perfect lifestyle photograph.
All Photos by Barbara Larson Photography | @barbaralarsonphotography
