What is Lifestyle Photography?

Remember when…?

Do you remember having your picture taken in school for the school yearbook? What I remember about those photo sessions is a photographer telling me to sit on a swivel stool, turning my knees to point one way, having me point my chin the other way and then asking me to tilt my head in a way that I never would in real life. Once I was in that position, I was supposed to smile and look “natural” while the photographer decided which goofy name to call me to try to get me to really smile. Does anyone else remember this?

Lifestyle Photography

Lifestyle photography is exactly the OPPOSITE of that experience. When I shoot a lifestyle session, whether it’s a regular family session or a newborn family session, my goal is to capture the essence of the relationships between you and your family members. There is relatively little posing. I will try to put everyone in the best light possible, but other than that I want you to do your best to pretend I’m not there. I will help you out by giving you something to talk about or a game to play so that you’re focusing on each other and not worrying about what you look like. (Let me do that.) The thing is – you will always look better when you’re relaxed than when you feel tense or worried. By getting your mind off the camera, you’re free to truly interact with your loved ones.

What about the Kids?

Sometimes the hardest thing for parents during a photo session is letting go of the reins. I talked about this a bit in my earlier post about tips for photo sessions with kids. You can find that post here – https://inlovelylight.wordpress.com/2017/08/18/ideas-for-capturing-the-best-photos-of-kids/. Trust me, as a mom of a four-year-old and one and a half-year-old I totally understand the urge to make sure they’re behaving during a photo session, BUT if you can focus on having fun together during your session and being OK if the kids seem a little “out of control,” everyone will look more relaxed in your photos, including you. I am totally fine with the kids being kids during our session. We will still get great photos and perhaps even better photos because we will capture relaxed expressions from them and you!

Everyone Look at the Camera Shots

Will we still get some shots where everyone’s looking at the camera? Ideally, yes. Even though the goal of a lifestyle session is to capture family connections, I do try to get a few images with everyone looking at the camera. I realize some people are looking for Christmas card pictures or pictures for Grandma to put on her refrigerator, so throughout the session I will occasionally have everyone look at me.

I hope this helps give you a better idea of what my lifestyle sessions feel like. I’d love to schedule a lifestyle family or newborn session with you! You can reach me at inlovelylightphotography@gmail.com or through my website at https://www.inlovelylightphotography.com/contact.html.