one of the things i always like to talk to families about is my philosophy and my style. it’s important to understand what it really means to be a lifestyle photographer. there are lots of very talented photographers out there with lots of very different styles – documentary, classic portraiture and lifestyle and a mixture of all of the above!
lifestyle photography lies somewhere in between documentary photography and classic portraiture. a documentary photographer takes a “fly on the wall” approach – stepping back, letting things happen and documenting them in an artistic way. the classic portraiture photographer takes full control over everything in the image – from lighting to clothing to backgrounds to posing. The in between of these two is lifestyle photography. It’s about being natural and comfortable and freezing those in camera. It’s about creating feelings and moments within a session that depict real-life, often through activities such as looking at each other, giggling, snuggling and laughing.
My philosophy and love for photography is rooted in this idea of lifestyle photography. The kind of portrait that makes you feel the love… the joy… and most importantly the connection between those in the image – or even the connection between subject and photographer. i often tell moms that i will not stress about getting a photo where everyone is looking at the camera – if it works out then great! but it won’t be the highlight of our session together. i strive to create an image of a mama and her boy with laughter and love – one where that mama can sense exactly what it felt like looking at her baby and the love between them. I want you to look at an image and remember what it felt like when you laughed together, and when you played together…..how it felt being a family at that time in your life.
I encourage you to be natural, to be yourselves… and let me place you in nice light and capture emotions as they happen. It’s not fair to say that lifestyle photography isn’t about “posing” because it is definitely an element of the session. but its less about full control and more about guiding into you lighting and scenarios that look and feel comfortable and then letting that moment unfold. Lifestyle sessions incorporate things that you would do… real life activities!! so think about family activities that you love – playing games, reading books… playing with your puppy…. all those things will help bring you back to that very moment when you look at the photographs on your wall, or in your family album… all of those things tell your story – and deserve to be documented – no matter how small you think that moment may be.
every moment may not be perfect – but they are all remarkable.