How to have the perfect lifestyle images from a photographer is a quick guide to help you create the perfect still life shots for lifestyle posts and so.

photography

How to Have The Perfect Lifestyle Images from a Photographer

Location:

Ferrara, Italy

Photography:

35mminstyle

Camera:

Canon 5D Mark II

You may know I work full-time as an e-commerce photographer and if you don’t, well I just said it out loud. I wish to give you my little advise on how to create the perfect lifestyle images. I love love love putting together pieces and then have images with a related palette of colours. Let’s get into it! I am going to give a few points that might help you improve your ability in making the perfect lifestyle images!

1. Palette of Colors

Very easily, think of the main colour you want all your pictures to come out. You surely have a post in mind whether it’s “how my room look like” or “the last candle from Diptique” . You have a certain idea on your mind, so it’s time to gather all the necessary props:

flowers + plants (succulents my babes) + fruits
accessories (rings, candles, lipsticks)
stationery (pens + clips)
glasses
anything

Take everything related to your subject and try to maintain one colour as basement and then built the floors. For example, here I have decided to stick with my main colour as black&white and then added a sparkle of colour in green (with the succulent) and the rest of the props were mainly monochrome (HOWL by Ginsberg, candle, perfume and camera).

Try to do the same, have one main color and then add the rest. Remember: less is always more.

Above: Jo Malone Wood Sage and Sea Salt Perfume Below: Jo Malone Fresia Candle / Marc Jacobs Lipstick

2. Natural Light

Another good friend of yours and something everybody would tell is to use the natural light to have the perfect lifestyle images. What does it mean? Simply consider where are the windows in your house. Then avoid direct sunlight but use the one in the shadow. It is more subtle and uniform all over the space of your image.

Natural light works when it’s sunny and when it’s cloudy. Leave artificial lights (neon, lamps, etc) for more experimental projects. Fact is we all love our lifestyle images to be natural, clean and white.

3. Composition

Composition is how you place your props in the picture. Usually every prop need some space around, like its own bubble. I call it “breathing space“. For this reason, the images shouldn’t be too crowded with objects. At least when they are standing on a table, whereas in flat-lays the crowded images might look really nice (next post don’t worry!).

So I was saying, leave some space in between objects. It looks better is the subject of your post stands in the central area of the picture, not necessarily the exact centre but nearby is okay. And don’t forget to move them around to let them be more dynamic. Not only you as the photographer should move, but also the props.

4. Inspiration

And of course, always have some reference. Scroll your Instagram feed, search over Pinterest boards or anywhere you prefer, this will help clear up your ideas and recreate what you have in mind.

5. The Final Bright White – How do I get there?

I dare say there are two roads. One is to have a pretty white background already in your camera, low the f (from f/1.4 background very blurry – to more or less f/14 – all props on focus), select the right time and the ISO (usually when inside and with natural light ISO can vary from 100 to 400).

If this white isn’t enough for you there is always post production. Second road is in fact post-production. Photoshop and Lightroom works amazingly but if don’t have them, do not despair! You can use a bunch of free Apps on your phone: Snapseed, iPhoto itself, Colourstory and many more.