Product photography isn’t one-size-fits-all. You need to be familiar with so many varied styles: flat lays, product-on-white, action. The list goes on.
And you may need an assortment of all of these styles for effective marketing and ecomm business. Lifestyle photography is one of those incredibly effective and engaging ways to show off your business or product. But lifestyle photography isn’t just a candid photo of your product in-use. This type of product photo offers endless creative freedom—and a lot of challenges too. We’re going to cover 12 tips to get you started showing your customers exactly how your product belongs in their lives.
Consider how you can level up your ecommerce photography even more using these quick editing tips.
What is lifestyle product photography?
Lifestyle product photography is a style of photography that aims to capture products in real-life situations, highlighting how they’re used in everyday life. This type of photography goes beyond traditional product shots, which often feature the product against a plain background, by placing the product in context. The goal is to tell a story and evoke an emotional connection with the viewer.
Show your customers how much better life would be with your product >
How to take lifestyle photos that convert
1. Plan your shoot
It’s always a good idea to start with a plan, regardless of the type of shoot you’re having. Start with a goal in mind—do you need to capture shots for social media? Are you filling a content gap in your marketing mix? Do you need to support a new product launch? Planning will help you understand what you need so you can prepare for a smooth shoot day.
Write up a shot list as part of this process. Include every product, prop, background, scene, model, and other details.
2. Set the scene
Props are an important part of product photography. But with lifestyle photos, props can be bigger and more involved in the scene. Remember, you’re telling a story about your product. That story might involve an entire setting!
Let’s say you sell mugs and mugs only. You want a lifestyle photo, more than just a photo of a mug. Maybe you want a model cradling their mug in a coffee shop. The lighting is warm and low, and they’re smiling at the barista with a book tucked into their arm. You don’t sell coffee or books. but it’s necessary to set the scene!
Scenes like this are perfect for creating a vibe. But there’s a fine line between setting a great lifestyle scene and losing your customer’s attention in a crowded photo. In addition to props, use color, light, and texture so you don’t overfill the frame with distracting elements.
Set your background
Part of setting the scene includes choosing the perfect background for your product shot. You want a natural background that supports the story you’re trying to tell. Remember to minimize distractions. A busy background will take away attention from the main subjects of the shot.
Get models in place
One of the best ways to showcase how your product will fit into your customers’ lifestyle is through models. While a simple hand model might show off a nail polish line, a full-body model can show off how that amazing color plays IRL. Even throwing in a cute pet model can elevate the relatability of your photos!
🔑 Key to success: Remember, you want your customer to relate to your brand and need your product. If glam is what you’re going for, you got it! But you can also create killer lifestyle photos with a model you’d expect to see on a hike or getting ready for bed.
3. Perfect the lighting
Lighting is imperative for all photos. While you can use artificial lighting, take it outside if you can. Switch up the studio background and take your lifestyle shoot outdoors! Many products have just as many outdoor uses as they do indoor.
When shooting outside, you’ve got a plethora of new landscapes, color schemes, and textures to take action shots.
Picture this: You’ve got a granola bar brand. This product practically begs to be stored in that convenient little side pocket of your beach bag. See how that image creates not only a promotion of the product—but a story?
🔥 Hot tip: For crisp product photos, bright and indirect natural light is always the way to go. However, with lifestyle photography, you can get a little more experimental with your lighting. Try out golden hour (catch a gilded lens flare in the background) or blue hour (capture that pink gradient and cool tones at dusk).
4. Check your shots
After you’ve set up the scene and taken some initial photos, review your shots. Do this continuously as you shoot different scenes and frames.
Regularly check your shots on a larger screen if possible. This helps you spot any issues with composition, lighting, or focus that might not be obvious on a smaller camera screen. Be meticulous in your review process. Small details can make a significant difference in the final image quality and effectiveness.
Here’s what to look for:
- Composition: Ensure that the product is clearly visible and the focal point of the image. Check that the props and background elements support the story without being too distracting.
- Lighting and exposure: Verify that the lighting highlights the product effectively. Make sure there are no harsh shadows or overexposed areas that could detract from the photo.
- Model poses and expressions: Look for natural, engaging poses and expressions from your models. Ensure they are interacting with the product in a way that looks authentic and appealing.
Don’t be afraid to retake photos. If you notice any issues, make necessary adjustments to the scene, lighting, or model positioning, and reshoot. It’s better to address these problems on set than to rely on post-processing fixes.
5. Edit your photos
Once you’ve captured all the necessary shots, the next step is to edit the photos to enhance their visual appeal and ensure they align with your brand’s aesthetic. Editing should enhance the natural beauty of your photos without making them look overly processed. Aim for a polished, professional finish that still feels authentic and relatable.
Here’s what you’ll want to do:
- Make basic adjustments: Start with basic adjustments such as cropping, straightening, and correcting exposure and white balance. Ensure the product is well-framed and clearly visible.
- Enhance colors: Adjust the color balance to make the image more vibrant and appealing. Ensure that the colors of the product are accurate and true to life.
- Refine lighting: Use editing tools to enhance the lighting, making sure that the product is well-lit and any shadows or highlights add to the image rather than detract from it.
- Retouch: Perform any necessary retouching to remove blemishes or distractions. This could include smoothing skin, removing stray hairs, or eliminating background distractions.
- Uniform: Ensure that all images in the series have a consistent look and feel. This includes consistent lighting, color balance, and style. Consistency helps in creating a cohesive brand identity.
- Complete final touches: Add any finishing touches, such as sharpening the image, adding a vignette, or applying a specific filter that aligns with your brand’s aesthetic.
Use editing apps for basic touch-ups and powerful software like Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop for advanced editing capabilities. These tools offer a wide range of options for fine-tuning your images and achieving a professional look.
Experiment with GIFs
If you’ve got four or five lifestyle photos of the same scene, try using them in a GIF! Movement in an image—even if it’s subtle—is very engaging to a customer. It creates an even stronger sense of action and application. Put simply, it’s a great way to show your customer that your product belongs with them.
🔥 Hot tip: GIFs made of lifestyle pics are perfect for TikTok, Instagram Stories, and similar formats. Your customers are swiping quickly through their feed and you’ve got mere seconds to catch their eye. Sometimes the dynamic movement of a GIF is enough to capture their interest and highlight your product.
Prep for all platforms
Speaking of platforms, it’s becoming clear that content doesn’t necessarily translate fluidly across all social media sites. What receives engagement on TikTok might be totally different from what receives engagement on Instagram. You need content strategies for every platform presence. This might mean short unboxing videos for one, and artsy outdoor photos for another.
🔑 Key to success: Keeping up with content and fresh photos for multiple platforms can be difficult. Using a program to schedule your posts ahead of time can really invigorate your social media feeds. This way, you can get a great assortment of content at one time and schedule it to post frequently to promote higher engagement. Then your time is free to run the business!
Lifestyle photography tips to keep in mind
When putting together your lifestyle content, consider the following tips and best practices:
Promote additional products
A customer is browsing your website for, let’s say, reusable straws. Your landing page features an eye-catching layout of lifestyle photos—one of which features reusable straws they’ve been eyeing and a matching mug. Paired with user-friendly links to both items, that customer now has an easy way to purchase both the item they intended originally and an additional complementary item, raising their cart value.
Use editorial style photos
Product photos need to be simple product-on-white for many platforms and in many cases. If a customer is viewing the items in their car, for example, they’ll want to see a straight-forward photo.
But your social media feed or landing page is the perfect place to branch out from that basic style. Using a more editorial style in these cases will communicate so much more about your brand to potential customers. A great editorial lifestyle photo—lo-fi lighting, nature scenery, action shots, etc.—gives you a chance to show your customer how your product will fit into their lives.
Get creative! If your budget allows for renting or owning artificial studio lighting, you can really expand your product photos. Play around with angles and quantity of studio lights to minimize unsightly reflections and maximize visual interest.
Hot tip: Always lean towards warmer tones when photographing food as this tends to look more appetizing.
Show off the whole crew
If you sell a product in a variety of colors, sizes, or designs, this is a great time to bring it all together. Show your assortment in a way that’s visually interesting. You can use multiple hand models, fan out the products, or toss them up in the air for a “raining product” effect. There are endless ways to show off an assortment in one lifestyle shot.
🔑 Key to success: who says it’s not practical to own a product in every color? with this technique: your customers will want to. try to layer colors in a gradient or by pairing complementary palettes together. avoid creating an eyesore by clashing colors.
Scope out the competition
No matter what your brand is, there’s another one out there that’s trying to tap into the same market or demographic as you. Keeping eyes on those brands’ lookbooks can be a major tool. We’re not telling you to copy others! Rather, stay on top of (or ahead of) trends in your market. Which lifestyle shots and lookbooks are your potential customers liking/engaging with/following the most?
🔑 Key to success: The goal here isn’t to replicate. Your brand is unique and your lifestyle photography should reflect that! But trends saturate the market quickly. So continuing to do competitor research in your market as you plan your photo shoots will keep your product where it belongs: in the forefront of your customers’ social media feeds, in their carts, and in their hands.
Stay true to your brand
Your brand should have its own identity, consisting of values, visual aesthetic, voice, and more. All of these things shouldn’t just exist in your head. They also need to exist on a moodboard (either digital or IRL). Your brand moodboard is what you’ll refer back to for inspo. and what you’ll refer others to (like photographers or stylists) to make sure their work reflects your vision for your brand. This simple tactic is an awesome way to keep your content cohesive—even as you continue to refresh.
Consumers are more conscious and informed than ever. Show them what matters to you if you want to matter to them. The stories you tell in photographs are powerful. Make an impact—loud or subtle—with your product photography.
Diversify
If you’re going to have multiple models in a lifestyle shoot, make sure they’re diverse in size, skin tone, gender, and more. You want any potential customer to scroll through your lookbook or feed and see themselves owning your product. Representation is vital—not just for capturing customers, but for creating strong brand values.
Not alienating customers is the first step in inviting them to be a part of your brand story. This means celebrating the vibrancy, culture, and diversity of every customer. This should be a consideration for every shoot.
Amplify customer voices
Your product photos should be the main character of your feed and website. But who says you can’t have a little fun sharing your customers’ photos as well? User-generated content (UGC) is powerful, and it builds strong customer relationships.
Make sure to ask permission and tag your customer’s social media profile if you repost their photo. Try to select customer photos that flow with your content. You worked hard to cultivate a beautiful feed, let your customers join in!
Keep your product content fresh
You may complete a lifestyle photoshoot and—whew!—you got everything you needed from your shot list. you got all your picking and editing done. you know how much goes into it! Now get ready to do it again!
Lifestyle shots should be refreshed as frequently as the seasons change, trends arrive, or products launch. A major aspect of consistent customer engagement—in your website or on social media—is consistent content. If you plan ahead for your next lifestyle photo shoot, you’ll be ready to take on the next wave and your content will always be up-to-date and catching customer attention.
Get high-quality lifestyle product photography
There’s so much to consider when it comes to lifestyle photography. When you’re ready for some high-quality lifestyle images—and to work with a team of photographers who crush the content game—try soona for only $39/photo.
Lifestyle product photography services
Show your customers how much better life would be with your product. We’ll make your product look good in any setting!
GET STARTED
Lifestyle product photography FAQs
How do you shoot lifestyle photos?
- Plan your shoot
- Set the scene
- Perfect the lighting
- Check your shots
- Edit your photos
What is considered a lifestyle photo?
A lifestyle photo is an image that depicts a product or person in a real-life, relatable setting. Unlike traditional product photography, which focuses solely on the product against a neutral background, lifestyle photos show the product being used in a natural environment. This type of photography aims to tell a story and connect emotionally with the viewer, making the product more appealing and relevant to their daily lives.
What are lifestyle photos examples?
Examples of lifestyle photos include:
- Fashion: A model wearing a jacket while walking through a city street, highlighting the jacket's fit and style.
- Home goods: A family enjoying dinner with a new dining set, showing the product in use within a home setting.
- Outdoor gear: Hikers using backpacks and tents in a picturesque mountain setting, emphasizing durability and functionality.
Tech gadgets: A person using a smartphone in various daily situations, such as working, commuting, and socializing, showcasing its features and versatility.
Product photography isn’t one-size-fits-all. You need to be familiar with so many varied styles: flat lays, product-on-white, action. The list goes on.
And you may need an assortment of all of these styles for effective marketing and ecomm business. Lifestyle photography is one of those incredibly effective and engaging ways to show off your business or product. But lifestyle photography isn’t just a candid photo of your product in-use. This type of product photo offers endless creative freedom—and a lot of challenges too. We’re going to cover 12 tips to get you started showing your customers exactly how your product belongs in their lives.
Consider how you can level up your ecommerce photography even more using these quick editing tips.
What is lifestyle product photography?
Lifestyle product photography is a style of photography that aims to capture products in real-life situations, highlighting how they’re used in everyday life. This type of photography goes beyond traditional product shots, which often feature the product against a plain background, by placing the product in context. The goal is to tell a story and evoke an emotional connection with the viewer.
Show your customers how much better life would be with your product >
How to take lifestyle photos that convert
1. Plan your shoot
It’s always a good idea to start with a plan, regardless of the type of shoot you’re having. Start with a goal in mind—do you need to capture shots for social media? Are you filling a content gap in your marketing mix? Do you need to support a new product launch? Planning will help you understand what you need so you can prepare for a smooth shoot day.
Write up a shot list as part of this process. Include every product, prop, background, scene, model, and other details.
2. Set the scene
Props are an important part of product photography. But with lifestyle photos, props can be bigger and more involved in the scene. Remember, you’re telling a story about your product. That story might involve an entire setting!
Let’s say you sell mugs and mugs only. You want a lifestyle photo, more than just a photo of a mug. Maybe you want a model cradling their mug in a coffee shop. The lighting is warm and low, and they’re smiling at the barista with a book tucked into their arm. You don’t sell coffee or books. but it’s necessary to set the scene!
Scenes like this are perfect for creating a vibe. But there’s a fine line between setting a great lifestyle scene and losing your customer’s attention in a crowded photo. In addition to props, use color, light, and texture so you don’t overfill the frame with distracting elements.
Set your background
Part of setting the scene includes choosing the perfect background for your product shot. You want a natural background that supports the story you’re trying to tell. Remember to minimize distractions. A busy background will take away attention from the main subjects of the shot.
Get models in place
One of the best ways to showcase how your product will fit into your customers’ lifestyle is through models. While a simple hand model might show off a nail polish line, a full-body model can show off how that amazing color plays IRL. Even throwing in a cute pet model can elevate the relatability of your photos!
🔑 Key to success: Remember, you want your customer to relate to your brand and need your product. If glam is what you’re going for, you got it! But you can also create killer lifestyle photos with a model you’d expect to see on a hike or getting ready for bed.
3. Perfect the lighting
Lighting is imperative for all photos. While you can use artificial lighting, take it outside if you can. Switch up the studio background and take your lifestyle shoot outdoors! Many products have just as many outdoor uses as they do indoor.
When shooting outside, you’ve got a plethora of new landscapes, color schemes, and textures to take action shots.
Picture this: You’ve got a granola bar brand. This product practically begs to be stored in that convenient little side pocket of your beach bag. See how that image creates not only a promotion of the product—but a story?
🔥 Hot tip: For crisp product photos, bright and indirect natural light is always the way to go. However, with lifestyle photography, you can get a little more experimental with your lighting. Try out golden hour (catch a gilded lens flare in the background) or blue hour (capture that pink gradient and cool tones at dusk).
4. Check your shots
After you’ve set up the scene and taken some initial photos, review your shots. Do this continuously as you shoot different scenes and frames.
Regularly check your shots on a larger screen if possible. This helps you spot any issues with composition, lighting, or focus that might not be obvious on a smaller camera screen. Be meticulous in your review process. Small details can make a significant difference in the final image quality and effectiveness.
Here’s what to look for:
- Composition: Ensure that the product is clearly visible and the focal point of the image. Check that the props and background elements support the story without being too distracting.
- Lighting and exposure: Verify that the lighting highlights the product effectively. Make sure there are no harsh shadows or overexposed areas that could detract from the photo.
- Model poses and expressions: Look for natural, engaging poses and expressions from your models. Ensure they are interacting with the product in a way that looks authentic and appealing.
Don’t be afraid to retake photos. If you notice any issues, make necessary adjustments to the scene, lighting, or model positioning, and reshoot. It’s better to address these problems on set than to rely on post-processing fixes.
5. Edit your photos
Once you’ve captured all the necessary shots, the next step is to edit the photos to enhance their visual appeal and ensure they align with your brand’s aesthetic. Editing should enhance the natural beauty of your photos without making them look overly processed. Aim for a polished, professional finish that still feels authentic and relatable.
Here’s what you’ll want to do:
- Make basic adjustments: Start with basic adjustments such as cropping, straightening, and correcting exposure and white balance. Ensure the product is well-framed and clearly visible.
- Enhance colors: Adjust the color balance to make the image more vibrant and appealing. Ensure that the colors of the product are accurate and true to life.
- Refine lighting: Use editing tools to enhance the lighting, making sure that the product is well-lit and any shadows or highlights add to the image rather than detract from it.
- Retouch: Perform any necessary retouching to remove blemishes or distractions. This could include smoothing skin, removing stray hairs, or eliminating background distractions.
- Uniform: Ensure that all images in the series have a consistent look and feel. This includes consistent lighting, color balance, and style. Consistency helps in creating a cohesive brand identity.
- Complete final touches: Add any finishing touches, such as sharpening the image, adding a vignette, or applying a specific filter that aligns with your brand’s aesthetic.
Use editing apps for basic touch-ups and powerful software like Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop for advanced editing capabilities. These tools offer a wide range of options for fine-tuning your images and achieving a professional look.
Experiment with GIFs
If you’ve got four or five lifestyle photos of the same scene, try using them in a GIF! Movement in an image—even if it’s subtle—is very engaging to a customer. It creates an even stronger sense of action and application. Put simply, it’s a great way to show your customer that your product belongs with them.
🔥 Hot tip: GIFs made of lifestyle pics are perfect for TikTok, Instagram Stories, and similar formats. Your customers are swiping quickly through their feed and you’ve got mere seconds to catch their eye. Sometimes the dynamic movement of a GIF is enough to capture their interest and highlight your product.
Prep for all platforms
Speaking of platforms, it’s becoming clear that content doesn’t necessarily translate fluidly across all social media sites. What receives engagement on TikTok might be totally different from what receives engagement on Instagram. You need content strategies for every platform presence. This might mean short unboxing videos for one, and artsy outdoor photos for another.
🔑 Key to success: Keeping up with content and fresh photos for multiple platforms can be difficult. Using a program to schedule your posts ahead of time can really invigorate your social media feeds. This way, you can get a great assortment of content at one time and schedule it to post frequently to promote higher engagement. Then your time is free to run the business!
Lifestyle photography tips to keep in mind
When putting together your lifestyle content, consider the following tips and best practices:
Promote additional products
A customer is browsing your website for, let’s say, reusable straws. Your landing page features an eye-catching layout of lifestyle photos—one of which features reusable straws they’ve been eyeing and a matching mug. Paired with user-friendly links to both items, that customer now has an easy way to purchase both the item they intended originally and an additional complementary item, raising their cart value.
Use editorial style photos
Product photos need to be simple product-on-white for many platforms and in many cases. If a customer is viewing the items in their car, for example, they’ll want to see a straight-forward photo.
But your social media feed or landing page is the perfect place to branch out from that basic style. Using a more editorial style in these cases will communicate so much more about your brand to potential customers. A great editorial lifestyle photo—lo-fi lighting, nature scenery, action shots, etc.—gives you a chance to show your customer how your product will fit into their lives.
Get creative! If your budget allows for renting or owning artificial studio lighting, you can really expand your product photos. Play around with angles and quantity of studio lights to minimize unsightly reflections and maximize visual interest.
Hot tip: Always lean towards warmer tones when photographing food as this tends to look more appetizing.
Show off the whole crew
If you sell a product in a variety of colors, sizes, or designs, this is a great time to bring it all together. Show your assortment in a way that’s visually interesting. You can use multiple hand models, fan out the products, or toss them up in the air for a “raining product” effect. There are endless ways to show off an assortment in one lifestyle shot.
🔑 Key to success: who says it’s not practical to own a product in every color? with this technique: your customers will want to. try to layer colors in a gradient or by pairing complementary palettes together. avoid creating an eyesore by clashing colors.
Scope out the competition
No matter what your brand is, there’s another one out there that’s trying to tap into the same market or demographic as you. Keeping eyes on those brands’ lookbooks can be a major tool. We’re not telling you to copy others! Rather, stay on top of (or ahead of) trends in your market. Which lifestyle shots and lookbooks are your potential customers liking/engaging with/following the most?
🔑 Key to success: The goal here isn’t to replicate. Your brand is unique and your lifestyle photography should reflect that! But trends saturate the market quickly. So continuing to do competitor research in your market as you plan your photo shoots will keep your product where it belongs: in the forefront of your customers’ social media feeds, in their carts, and in their hands.
Stay true to your brand
Your brand should have its own identity, consisting of values, visual aesthetic, voice, and more. All of these things shouldn’t just exist in your head. They also need to exist on a moodboard (either digital or IRL). Your brand moodboard is what you’ll refer back to for inspo. and what you’ll refer others to (like photographers or stylists) to make sure their work reflects your vision for your brand. This simple tactic is an awesome way to keep your content cohesive—even as you continue to refresh.
Consumers are more conscious and informed than ever. Show them what matters to you if you want to matter to them. The stories you tell in photographs are powerful. Make an impact—loud or subtle—with your product photography.
Diversify
If you’re going to have multiple models in a lifestyle shoot, make sure they’re diverse in size, skin tone, gender, and more. You want any potential customer to scroll through your lookbook or feed and see themselves owning your product. Representation is vital—not just for capturing customers, but for creating strong brand values.
Not alienating customers is the first step in inviting them to be a part of your brand story. This means celebrating the vibrancy, culture, and diversity of every customer. This should be a consideration for every shoot.
Amplify customer voices
Your product photos should be the main character of your feed and website. But who says you can’t have a little fun sharing your customers’ photos as well? User-generated content (UGC) is powerful, and it builds strong customer relationships.
Make sure to ask permission and tag your customer’s social media profile if you repost their photo. Try to select customer photos that flow with your content. You worked hard to cultivate a beautiful feed, let your customers join in!
Keep your product content fresh
You may complete a lifestyle photoshoot and—whew!—you got everything you needed from your shot list. you got all your picking and editing done. you know how much goes into it! Now get ready to do it again!
Lifestyle shots should be refreshed as frequently as the seasons change, trends arrive, or products launch. A major aspect of consistent customer engagement—in your website or on social media—is consistent content. If you plan ahead for your next lifestyle photo shoot, you’ll be ready to take on the next wave and your content will always be up-to-date and catching customer attention.
Get high-quality lifestyle product photography
There’s so much to consider when it comes to lifestyle photography. When you’re ready for some high-quality lifestyle images—and to work with a team of photographers who crush the content game—try soona for only $39/photo.
Lifestyle product photography services
Show your customers how much better life would be with your product. We’ll make your product look good in any setting!
GET STARTED
Lifestyle product photography FAQs
How do you shoot lifestyle photos?
- Plan your shoot
- Set the scene
- Perfect the lighting
- Check your shots
- Edit your photos
What is considered a lifestyle photo?
A lifestyle photo is an image that depicts a product or person in a real-life, relatable setting. Unlike traditional product photography, which focuses solely on the product against a neutral background, lifestyle photos show the product being used in a natural environment. This type of photography aims to tell a story and connect emotionally with the viewer, making the product more appealing and relevant to their daily lives.
What are lifestyle photos examples?
Examples of lifestyle photos include:
- Fashion: A model wearing a jacket while walking through a city street, highlighting the jacket's fit and style.
- Home goods: A family enjoying dinner with a new dining set, showing the product in use within a home setting.
- Outdoor gear: Hikers using backpacks and tents in a picturesque mountain setting, emphasizing durability and functionality.
Tech gadgets: A person using a smartphone in various daily situations, such as working, commuting, and socializing, showcasing its features and versatility.
