One of the best ways to amplify your brand is by planning a lifestyle product shoot. A lifestyle shoot is about showcasing your product in relateable real world settings that connect with your client. The goal is to create imagery that’s inviting, visually appealing and makes your product the hero.
Top 5 reasons to plan a lifestyle product shoot:
- Generates a sense of trust in your product by showing it being used in a familiar setting.
- Shows your clients options for how to enjoy your product.
- Conveys the feeling of using your product not just a visual representation of what it looks like.
- Gives a better sense of scale for the size and dimensions of your product.
- Creates social media content you can use for ads, reels, stories and posts in addition to on your website.
The Planning Process
The first step towards your lifestyle product session is to start collecting imagery. You want to look for images that catch your eye and resonates with your brand message. I like to work collaboratively with my clients during this process using a joint Pinterest board. Throughout this stage we review potential images and hone in on the the feeling we want to convey. One thing to note – while we’re collecting images for style inspiration, we’re avoiding collecting images to directly emulate. We’re after fresh and unique imagery for your session. The inspiration photos are just that… inspiration! They’ll provide the road map that leads us to your own set of images to display.
Another important step is to brainstorm about what appeals to your clients. When planning your shot list it’s helpful to consider who your clients are and what appeals to their lifestyle. Getting to the core of what makes your clients excited is a powerful tool when planning campaigns to promote yourself!
Selecting a Location
Once we’ve realized the vision for your shoot the next step will be to select a location. My favourite place to book venues is Giggster. You’re able to browse through their listings easily, sorting by location and hourly rate to help narrow down the options. Each listing has detailed info about the space and reviews from past renters. There’s also a chat portal to connect with the location owner and ask questions ahead of the shoot. Additionally I’m happy to help with this process and even narrow down the options for you to help streamline the process!
Selecting Talent
What really brings your session to life is people! We want to select talent that represents your client market, brings inclusivity to your brand and adds a believable real life element to your session. While you absolutely can rope your friends and family into being your subjects I highly recommend spending a little money and hiring from an agency. Professional models know how to pose to show off the product, can bring a range of emotions to the shoot and aren’t nervous about being in front of the camera. By far having professional models can take the shoot to the next level – you won’t be dissappointed! If it’s in your budget, a professional hair and makeup artist can also add that next level of polish to the images.
Wardrobe and Props
The final key element is to plan what props and wardrobe to bring. In an ideal world we would have a wardrobe and prop stylist join us in the planning process, however with a little planning we can work together to find the right fit for your session. A great place to start is to look at the inspiration images you gathered and start a list of colour tones, clothing styles and props you notice in the background. It will give you a jumping off point to start planning this portion of your shoot and help narrow down what you will need to bring your shot list to life. I am more than happy to help during this process and can source prop rentals/purchases on your behalf!
Planning a lifestlye product shoot can seem like a daunting task, but I promise the payoff is well worth the work! As your photographer I’ll be there every step of the way to keep the planning on track and lend my inight and expertise whenver you need it.
Getting excited for your first lifestyle product shoot? Get in touch with me to find out more about my process and start the ball rolling for your personal brand session! I can’t wait to hear from you!
Amber
(All images in this article were produced for Lana Betty)
