Photographs preserve the memories of our life. Looking back to family trips, functions, weddings and birthday parties’ photographs makes us happy and nostalgic. Ralph Hattersley, an American photographic educator said “We are making photographs to understand what our lives mean to us”. Photographs show us the rich reality of our life. This is why lifestyle photography is becoming the trendiest style of photography which gives us the “slice of life”.
Lifestyle photography is a kind of photography that captures the real-life situation of the subject creatively. The goal behind this style of photography is to capture the genuine emotions of the subject. While capturing a photograph of someone’s life, remember it needs to be visually appealing and portrays a sense of life. Clicking lifestyle photography is not rocket science anyone can capture it. Here are few simple tips about lifestyle photography:-
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Make comfortable environment
Most people feel awkward and shy when they are in front of the camera, as a photographer you must make them feel relaxed by your presence. Break the ice between you and the client by starting conversations such as what they do, what are they passionate about etc. Just stick with the lighter topics and you are good to go.
Talking about what sort of image you want can help clients make them feel much more comfortable in front of the camera.
Working with children can be challenging as they are energetic and moody. The shoot can become entirely pointless if the kids started crying, feel hungry or sleepy. It depends on how you make the photoshoot more fun and enjoyable for them and respect their routine in a day such as nap times or meals.
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Click candid pictures
The best photographs of one subject can capture can be candid. A candid means a picture that is clicked without the subject’s knowledge. If you are confused on how to click candid pictures then give your client any activity which can keep them engaged and here you have perfect candid shots line-up for you.
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Click from different angles
Clicking pictures with just a straight angle can look mundane for clients and even for you. Not every picture should be taken in a medium shot as this is not portraited photography. Get creative and click from different angles such as close-up shots, mid-riff, high angle, top angle as you never know a perfect picture is just around the corner.
For example: clicking a picture of a baby playing with toys from a high angle, will create a spectacular picture with a sense of life.
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Give direction when needed
When the subject is confused on what to pose and how to pose, as their photographer you need to give them a little bit of direction and tell them what to do instead of how to do it. You can even give some common ideas of the picture such as family wearing matching outfits or having fun. You can always change it if the previous pose is not working.
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Keep close attention to minute details
Lifestyle photography and portrait photography are diverse than each other. In lifestyle photography details are very important, without them the whole photograph seems to be imperfect.
To capture the details you need to zoom the camera lens on a particular object which can also be a close-up shot, it can be anything like a baby is sleeping or a cat looking outside the window. Looking at detail beyond the obvious shots can create a beautiful and appealing picture.
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Never keep your camera down
You have probably heard from somewhere that “Every moment is a precious, unique and incredible gift of life”. When it comes to lifestyle photography never keep your camera down even for 1 minute as you could miss out on some amazing moments to capture.
Beautiful pictures are always clicked in the least expected situations and asking the subject to repose makes it look unnatural. Constant shooting can change your perspective and you can capture something unexpected.
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Using the right equipment’s and camera setting
You probably be shooting in multiple locations or different areas of the house. You may get different lighting scenarios. For that, you probably need to have a wide or zoom lens with 24-70 mm. using a 35mm lens for perfect and wide shots.
It is better to bring lightning equipment’s for lifestyle photography using TTL flashes to control the light in the dim-lit room and using light modifiers can make the light refocus.
The camera setting also plays an important role in clicking lifestyle photography. As you know there are three important Aperture, Shutter speed and ISO. Keep your shutter speed from 1/125 to 1/200, if your subject is running or playing any sports then you may use a quicker shutter speed. Aperture depends upon what type of lens you use, for a wide image keep it between f8 to f11. It is better to use the lowest ISO setting in your camera.
WRAPPING UP
Lifestyle photography is all about telling a story through photographs. In this style of photography always expect the unexpected as you never know when the perfect shot is going to come. Practising lifestyle photography helps you to learn the best camera settings and who knows you can even develop an eye for photography.
Go Outside and Start Shooting Lifestyle Photos!
