Lifestyle Photography : Tips For Photographing Natural Moments

what exactly is lifestyle photography?  lifestyle photography is a style of photography that documents the true and unposed moments of a subject within their surrounding.  whether this is a child swinging on the swing, a baby waking up from nap, or heading out to grab some coffee, lifestyle photography focuses on those everyday natural moments.  it also heavily relies on the photographer being creative with their composition and perspective in order to bring life to those everyday moments that may originally seem uninteresting.

need help photographing those everyday moments?  be sure to check out the everyday photograph for inspiration.

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Lifestyle Photography: Tips For Photographing Natural Moments

1.  What Does Your Everyday Look Like?

in terms of lifestyle photography, think about what your everyday looks like.  this will change from time to time, as you enter and leave certain life stages.  for me, a year ago my day to day involved grabbing a cup of coffee and planting myself in front of a computer to edit all day.  today, with a baby, my day to day looks much different.  try and define what your everyday looks like and pinpoint what moments you would like to document with your camera.

2.  Get Creative With Angles

one of the biggest parts of lifestyle photography is composition.  because our everyday moments may seem ordinary to us, being able to portray them in a compelling way within a frame is very important.  it brings life to those little moments that make up our day to day.  get creative with the angles you choose to photograph from as a way of photographing those natural moments in an eye-catching way.

3.  Read The Everyday Photograph

have you read the everyday photograph?  it’s all about inspiring you to see the beauty in your everyday and document those ordinary moments in a beautiful way.  be sure to get inspired by reading your own copy of the everyday photograph to see how you can create more interesting images as you go about your day to day.  it will give you a boost of energy and inspire you to begin photographing your everyday, with 100 prompts to get you started.

4.  Be Patient

lifestyle photography involves patience and trial and error.  be patient as you try to photograph a moment from a variety of different angles and be patient with yourself as you monitor the results.  sometimes you will like the photos you take right away and other times you will look at the results and think, “yikes!  that is not what i was going for!”  realize that these moments of trial and error are moments of learning, so pick up your camera again and keep photographing.

5.  Find Humor And Have Fun

photography should be fun.  and if you have children, let them see you having fun with your photography.  if you are having fun, you are creating a light and carefree environment that will encourage more natural photographs.  if the photography situation is turning stressful, it’s time to put down your camera and try again later.  you don’t want to look back on your images and remember the stress of getting the shot, but instead look back on them and remember the fun you were having.

unsure of the best lenses to have?  here are the only two lenses moms need to photograph their everyday.

6.  Consider Nostalgia

as you ponder what photos to take of your everyday, consider what you want to remember.  that is why we take pictures, isn’t it?  be sure to always keep memory making in mind as you think of things to photograph.  lifestyle photography encourages you to photograph the natural moments, and there is nothing more natural about those repetitive moments that make up your day to day that you want to remember forever.  whether those natural moments are how your dog sits by the front door in the evening as your spouse returns from work or how your baby lays sweetly on her tummy for a nap, bring out your camera for those predictable moments.

7.  Keep Your Camera Handy

lifestyle photograph is all about capturing those true and natural moments that accurately reflect your day to day.  one of the biggest ways to do that is by always keeping your camera handy, as you will never know when those spontaneous moments will occur.  make sure you are always ready for them by having your camera in a central location that is easy to grab on the spot.  because when your dog looks up at your baby, adoringly as she eats, you don’t want to disrupt or miss the moment as you search for your camera.

photographing my everyday is one of my biggest passions because it allows me to enjoy my photography today, while savoring those everyday moments within images to enjoy tomorrow.  how do you find it easy to photograph your everyday?  be sure to share with us in the comment section below!

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