What Does Lifestyle Photography Mean To You?

Okay I know this is a couple months late, but I was really inspired after reading an article in the December 2011 issue of Professional Photographer magazine, on 'The Rise of the Female Lifestyle Photographer'.

Tweethearts & Toddlers was such a great piece written by the talented Boo Marshall of Eliza Boo Photography and covered what lifestyle photography is and how it became a part of her work after the popularity of the genre in America in the last 5 or so years. There were also great comments and insights from other female photographers talking about their view on this approach to photography.

It excited me to read inspiring content from these likeminded women, and hearing what they love about lifestyle photography helped me remember why I love it and what I sell alongside my other portrait sessions.

For me, it's not about dressing you and your children up in something you wouldn't normally choose to wear, or sitting in a position that doesn't feel natural to you and smiling for the sake of the camera.

Photo shoots with your family should encapsulate the real you and the love that binds the relationships between you.

That's what I absolutely adore about lifestyle photography - I am passionate about documenting the details of real life and real characters, and documenting it in a way that when looked at, brings back the feelings, the laughs and movement that was there in that moment when the photograph was taken... even if you werent there! There's so much personality in location based and natural photo shoots.

I want my photographs to show the emotion in that persons face or the interactions between family members or couples, and I love feeling in tune with those brief instants...

If you were going to have a lifestyle session, what would you want to be captured in your images? Who would you want to be photographed with and where would you like it to be?