What is Lifestyle Photography anyway?  Everyone has heard of photojournalism, it is in-between that and traditional photography.  Photojournalism typically consists of photos taken when the subject is not always aware of the photographer, often documenting an event as a way to tell a story with pictures.  Traditional photography tends to be more posed and static.  Lifestyle photography is a way to blend the two and show the interactions between people in a more emotional way while still having some sense of “we’re doing this for the camera”.  When I do a session I am not always just a fly on the wall, depending on the type of session I will ask the subjects to move a little this way or that way to try to get the best light or make sure heads are not blocked or some other technicality.  I might give prompts to encourage certain behaviors.  I will also take some photos where the subjects are not aware of exactly when the photos are occuring, those tend to be more photojournalistic.  I try to have a mix.  As much as I love to show interactions, I still think people should have some photos purely for documentation, this means full-on-face shots.  Even if it is just a small 5×7, when your grandkids are trying to figure out who looks like who and where they got their eyes and lips, they want to see the faces of their family members.

So, keep this in  mind when you are having your session.  When I am taking pictures of you, don’t feel like you need to look at the camera or do an America’s Top Model pose change every time you hear the shutter click.  Just be yourself and allow your children to do the same.  Even when they are being goofy, you’d be surprised at the gems you will see when you look at your gallery.

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