Find the beauty in what’s in front of you
Life is a series of moments. Most of those moments are mundane. Things like getting the kids out of bed for school, going to work, making dinner, and walking the dog. But what if you slowed time down to look at those “real” moments. Would you see their beauty?
Making “real” look artistic
The goal in lifestyle photography is not to show life as “perfect” but as “perfectly real”.
The intention is that you photograph throughout an event without thinking about what “story” will come out of it. The point is to relax into the moment and to just be present. Photograph without giving any thought to the bigger picture.
Notice moments as they unfold.
Photograph the scene as you see it.
Photograph people candidly while they work.
Include textural elements to help show the mood, too.
Capture images spontaneously
Any event can be shot to show the beauty. Even house chores!
Shoot individual moments as they unfold. Don’t worry about the “story” as you photograph.
You’re not trying to fit into some predetermined vision here, just accept what is and see the good in it.
Photograph scenes as they are
Find the beauty in the scene. Resist the urge to style or rearrange something to “look better” for your photo.
Work with what is in front of you. Photograph one specific thing.
The water marks, not the entire floor.
The toothbrush, not the chair.
Photograph people while they work
You will get “real” photos when you capture people working. This is a great way to photograph camera-shy people! When someone is unaware of the camera, it keeps them from posing. Include close-ups of hands or feet in action.
Find the right camera angle to show off your one specific thing — subject level, top-down, or bottom-up. Frame tightly.
Identify the building blocks
When you compare all of the images side by side, which ones are the most interesting?
The best ones are not necessarily stand-alone shots or an end-all-be-all image that we typically strive for as photographers.
Pick the highlights
In lifestyle photography images are selected to convey a mood or to tell a story.
You don’t need to literally show every step, even if you photographed it.
This is when the story emerges.
There is more than one story. Be aware that the images you choose might alter the story altogether..
Show the mood
Selecting images to show a mood requires omitting the minutiae and to just pick the highlights of what happened with perhaps some ambiance and textural shots to flesh out the story.
What you’re looking to do is to show how the experience felt.
“Real” life can look artistic
The goal in lifestyle photography is not to show life as “perfect” but as “perfectly real”.
Everything can be photographed to look beautiful. Yes, even house chores!
Learn lifestyle photography in Authentic Photo Stories taught by Brit Hammer
SIGN UP NOW FOR BRIT’S CLASSES
Amazing Travel Photos Made Easy
Celebrate Your Life in Beautiful Images
** No post processing skills necessary for any of Brit’s courses **
You can also work with Brit privately
Mentoring: Schedule a live session with Brit via Skype
Get a private image video review: Private Video Image Reviews
Find out about all of Brit’s courses, including Photographing Fine Art & Craft
