Why lifestyle photography?

What is lifestyle photography? 

Lifestyle photography is defined by wikipedia as “photography which mainly aims to capture portrait/people in situations, real-life events or milestones in an artistic manner and the art of the everyday.” 

What does lifestyle photography mean to me? 

I think of lifestyle photography as in-between documentary photography and classic portraiture. Documentary photography is often described as a “fly on the wall” type approach to a photographic session. The photographer documents events but does not interfere in what is unfolding in from of the camera. Classic portraiture on the other hand, is a more familiar style of photography to most people. Individuals are posed by the photographer in detail and are prompted to look at the camera and smile. 

Lifestyle photography is special to me because there are countless times when I reminisce about the everyday moments or events in the past and wished I had an image of it. For example, reading a book to my 1 year old while trying to feed a newborn baby, kids wrestling on the bed with dad on a Sunday morning, or my daughter making waffles with me while everyone is gathered in the kitchen. The clothes may not have been tack sharp and the dirty dishes may have piled up in the kitchen sink but what can be more important then creating memories and having them to look back on for generations to come. I want every family to have an heirloom maybe in the form of an album or book which can one day remind them and their children of those moments that have long passed. How great would it be to repeat this experience on a regular basis and compare the growth and maturing of different family members over time? 

I want to tell the narrative of a family at a point in time and capture moments that would happen organically every day. My role is to direct and suggest starting points but then leave it up to the individuals to unfold and create the story. To make this possible, I will look for the best light quality and quantity available naturally in the environment and then direct the individuals being photographed to take advantage of that light. The reason for my interference is that I want to capture a variety of images in the limited amount of time spent together. My favorite sessions are in clients’ homes because that is where every family spends most of their time aside from school/work. This will add great context to the story we want to tell together. Who wouldn’t want an image of themselves in their childhood bedroom cuddled up in their favorite polka dotted fairy blanket and holding on to papa bear while pink bunny slippers are kicked off to the side of the bed? And what about jumping on the bed while laughing so hard that you just sink into the fluffy pillows stacked up behind you?

So what is your definition of lifestyle? Share your experiences and how you interpret this style of photography with me.