Investing in Lifestyle Photography for Your Product

An Instagram aesthetic is one of the most valuable assets to your brand, and investing in lifestyle photography for your brand is the easiest way to make it happen. Stop combing through stock photo websites, and get ready for engaging, high-quality photos that will help grow your brand.

Defining Lifestyle Photography

Before we get into why lifestyle photography is an essential investment for your product, let’s define what it is. This photography style highlights your product in settings that define how your product is used.

Examples of Lifestyle Photography

For supplement companies, this can be in a home setting, while lounging on the couch or while cooking, or it can be on-the-go to highlight the convenience.

For clothing, it can be on a hangar, opening the box, and yes, on a model. Make sure these photos fit your brand.

Lifestyle photography typically includes a model, because even just a hand can bring the photo to life. When we mention the word “model” some people get overwhelmed at the scope, but it’s easier than you may think!

This is particularly true when it’s only hand modeling, because it doesn’t matter what the model is wearing or that their hair and makeup is done. (Small details are still important, though, like un-chipped nail polish.)

You or your team can be the hand models for these photos, so there’s no need to source models.

Making the Investment

The biggest investment for product photography is the photographer, and the pricing structure will vary. Some charge by photo while others offer packages. These packages could range from 15–25 photos, and include four to five different scenes. Make sure the pricing structure is clear before beginning to reduce the chances of confusion.

The number of posts on social media also determine the number of photos you’ll need. Posting five times per week means you’ll need 20–25 photos per month, depending on the month’s length.

Once you get into a routine, you’ll be able to reuse some of these photos in coming months. Don’t focus on this, though. Make sure these lifestyle photos are seasonally appropriate, and latch onto holiday buzz.

Tip: Working with less-experienced but motivated photographers can help save you some money. (We don’t mean for free, but this can definitely reduce the cost.)

Setting Your Brand Apart with Lifestyle Photography

Investing in quality photography for your brand gives you the opportunity to develop an aesthetic. When a company has a cohesive aesthetic and content within their color palette, every piece of content will be easily identifiable as yours.

While many users will see your content as individual posts in their feed, you also want to create a cohesive grid for those visiting your profile. This is known as your grid, and there are a few ways you can make it your own.

Pick Your Grid

The most common way to maximize your grid is to focus on your color palette. Bring in a few key colors, and determine whether you want your feed to be light and muted, or bright and colorful. (Or any other combination!) Then, when users scroll through your profile they’ll see a brand focused on both the overall image and individual posts.

Another way to maximize your grid is to block it out. Post groups of three images from the same scene or color palette in a row before switching to another scene. Or, alternate dark and light photos to make a checkerboard pattern.

Some users like to split up photos, making six posts one larger photo. This can be a great way to launch a new account, but do it too consistently and you may alienate followers. Remember, they aren’t seeing the full photo in their feed!

Investing in lifestyle photography is one of the best ways to elevate your brand. From a cohesive aesthetic to quality photos with your products in them, these photos will make your products enticing, accessible, and engaging.