The Lifestyle Docu-Shoot
The Lifestyle Docu-Shoot
After leasing my very first studio space in November of 2018, all my work was done indoors, with only small reprieves on the rooftop until we couldn’t stand the cold, unclouded sun, or wind. So when summer 2019 came along, I was anxious to get back to shooting on the streets. Throughout the working-hibernation of the winter I’d developed a few new ideas about how to approach my work and specifically how I’d want to approach outdoor sessions. I wanted to take a documentary approach.
Almost half or close to half of my work up to that time had been either events or weddings. I had taken to those jobs easily because I loved capturing candid expressions and real moments, which lead to some of the work of which I am the most proud. Fathers throwing their daughters in the air, men turning around to see their soon-to-be wives in their wedding dress for the first time, friends tearing up the dance floor. Moments that I got to witness and then present as a gift to my clients. I realized, then, that one of my greatest strengths as a photographer is capturing a candid moment, but how could I bring that energy and spontaneity to a portrait session where it’s just you and me and not an event or ceremony or dance floor in sight?
That’s where documentary-style lifestyle session, or docu-shoot, came into play. The way I approached it was that I would pretend that I was on assignment for a magazine to cover a celebrity. I was to follow my subject around town as he or she explored a specific area and I would document this as opposed to simply having him or her pose with a coffee cup and pretend to look lively. It’s a session about being present and in motion as yourself.
At first, it can be tricky to be any of those things in a photo session. It’s hard to be present because you’re self-conscious about how you’re showing up in the camera; it’s hard to not be stiff because you’re so focused on the final product or it might just be the first time you’ve hired a professional photographer; and since there’s a photographer involved, any semblance of “natural” has gone out the window! What I found that helped alleviate all of those concerns was simply building trust through clear communication and a spirit of collaboration.
People often are anxious about photos because they don’t know what they’re going to get. I have found that people aren’t often invited to be part of the process besides the time they have to physically stand before the camera. For these shoots, as natural as they are supposed to be, I still create a mood board, for example, to show each client my thought process and what I picked up from our phone consultation that I think would be worth shooting to highlight his or her personality or brand. I make sure that these are images that are as close to the final product we’re going for as possible, rather than a vague “vibe” for our shoot.
On the shoot day itself, people readily settle into this style because there’s much more action and movement involved as opposed to a traditional shoot where you walk to a pretty spot, pose, smile, and repeat. It’s been a great pleasure for me to see people come alive and shake the pressures of a photoshoot and actually behave as themselves as we go along. You might be tempted to try on some hats on the street, tell me an interesting story that just happened to you, or just hop around town--the camera loves it all! It’s special to not only be able to deliver someone the photos he or she needs for a career change, new job opportunity, or just a celebration of life, but to also capture those quirks and interests that make you you.
