What to Wear for your Casual, Lifestyle Branding Shoot in NYC
You pride yourself on being the fun, approachable, low-pressure yet high-impact business owner. You want customers and clients to view you as their new favorite gal-pal, as someone who understands their personal needs/goals because you’re one of them.
Just because you take your business seriously doesn’t mean you can’t add some fun and flare to your approach! That’s what being a business owner is all about, right? Bringing your one-of-a-kind perspective and skillset into the world your way!
So how do you convey this to your audience through your visual messaging?
What’s a Casual/Lifestyle Aesthetic?
When I think of casual or “lifestyle” branding photos, I think of the perfectly imperfect snapshot: the organized chaos of everyday life; the in-between moments that are sometimes overlooked but hold all the magic.
The beauty in the messy reality.
Casual aesthetics are going to feel relatable – your followers should be able to say, “Oh totally, my desk looks just like this!” or, “Yup, this is how it feels when I’m holding a million things walking around the city from one appointment to another.”
Whenever I think of lifestyle, I think of joy and movement. Because life, though not always joyful, is all about capturing as much happiness as you can through the constant motion of time, meeting of milestones, and events (both planned and spontaneous).
Think of lived-in spaces, everyday clothing for coffee dates and yoga class, and human connections.
These are the ingredients for a “lifestyle” aesthetic, so let’s chat about how to add them to your brand to create your own secret sauce!
How to Apply this Aesthetic to YOUR Brand
Are you a mom, a fitness fanatic, a big bookworm?
Infusing your branding visuals with as much personality as possible will bring that element of authenticity and relatability to life!
BONUS POINTS if your personal life is actually related to your business. So if your brand involves life-coaching for busy moms, or health/wellness education for women, you’ll want to double down on showcasing those elements.
When it comes to wardrobe, think about the most put-together yet realistic outfit you’d get caught in while doing real-life activities: A matching athleisure set, a t-shirt and favorite jeans, a fun skirt to capture the most playful movement shots…!
Your posing choices will center around action, interaction, and expressing your personality through laughter and candids (or “plan-dids” as I sometimes call them!).
And finally, bring on the props! Infuse your images with props that not only speak to who you are as a person, but enhance how you want to be viewed by your audience.
Pro Tip: Consider the role that location plays in your branding visuals. An in-studio setting can provide fun backdrops and unique furniture in a controlled environment. An outdoor or “on location” setting, on the other hand, can offer that beautifully chaotic, realistic feel by shooting at a cafe table or in a park where life is bustling all around you!
Still unsure how to bring the vision full circle? That’s what your photographer is for! This is where the value of hiring an experienced, versatile branding photographer really comes in, where we can use all of our expertise coupled with our creativity to provide a truly unique and personalized branding experience! If you’re an influencer, life coach, or other brand with lifestyle content as your focus, reach out to schedule your branding consultation today!