Memories in a snap: How lifestyle photography has become a major profession in India
Lifestyle photographers chronicle day to day life and give these photos an artistic twist. Here’s why the profession is in great demand today.
Photography in India has undergone an amazing metamorphosis in the last few years.
Until a few years ago wedding photography was the only viable career option in India. However, with the significant growth of the media and print industry, photography is becoming one of the most lucrative professions.
Lifestyle photography is trending in India.
It’s a flourishing industry, as every newspaper, magazine and digital platform needs a good photographer. This is a career choice worth exploring. With an ever-growing social media market, photography has branched out into several streams, each producing numerous jobs.
Among different genres of photography, lifestyle photography is a recent trend.
What is Lifestyle photography?
Lifestyle photography captures everyday life and chronicles them with an artistic twist. Social media platforms have evolved into an open diary, as people document their everyday lives and showcase their social status, activities, clothing, possessions, and life principles.
The popularity of capturing candid pictures and the art of documentary photography has created a market space for lifestyle photography. The idea is to capture life as it is.
Along with technical skills, narrative skill is a requisite as it focuses on the story behind the image and hence, is a great way to let your creativity flow.
Cameras have become a part of our everyday lives.
Evolution of Lifestyle photography
Lifestyle photography has always been a part of history. Cameras were first popular in Kolkata, soon after its invention in France during the 1800s. During that period photographers were only hired by the maharajas to take their portraits and document their extravagant aristocratic lives.
Modern photography in India evolved during the 1960s. However, the cost of equipment for colour photography was so high that only the privileged could afford it.
Today, with easy availability of DSLRs, smartphones and other equipment, cameras have become a part of our everyday lives.
Categories of Lifestyle photography
Family photography
Every family picture should tell a story. There are stories of love, trust, care, happiness, fun and crazy times. Family photos are the most treasured heirlooms that one passes to the next generation.
A lifestyle photographer will capture real life, as it happens. If you are a people’s person and love to capture moments for families and their loved ones, which will help them freeze time and make memories for generations to come, then this is the best-suited niche for you.
One of the drivers of globalisation is technological changes. The easy cross border mobility of equipment has taken photography to a new level.
People want to capture all the small and big moments in life be it pregnancy, child birth, graduations or seizing the playful moments of children with their grandparents. And so, lifestyle photography flourishes making it a great career option too.
Child photography
If you are an aspiring photographer inspired by kids, child photography is a sphere worth exploring. The two most important qualities one must possess to be a good child photographer is the ability to capture subjects in motion and you also need to have a lot of patience.
Capturing the magic moments of a child is a difficult task and one has to be extremely patient to be able to handle the situation.
When it comes to child photography one needs to have a lot of patience.
The most beautiful experience in life is parenting which goes mostly unrecorded. The challenge is to capture all the chaos and turn it into art. The job of a photographer is to capture these fleeting moments and make them evergreen memoirs.
Parents are always excited about their kids growing up and all the amazing things they will do in life. They frame pictures of their newborns or their children engaged in various activities and other funny, emotional and happy moments. Due to this, there are plenty of job opportunities for child photographers.
Commercial photography
In order to connect with an audience and form emotional bonds with consumers, advertisers have always used photography.
People are attracted by environment and lifestyle, and opportunities to improve their own world. Commercial photography includes city life, tourism and interior space design photography for commercial spaces.
There is a growing need for good commercial photographers. We don’t just buy products but also the emotion, whether it is food or fashion.
Modern-day fashion is no longer only about clothes; smart marketing strategies also focus on how and when to wear certain garments. This makes fashion photography a part of lifestyle photography.
There is a growing need for good commercial photographers.
A competitive world
In this digital age lifestyle photography has become a powerful tool to communicate and express oneself.
With the arrival of digital cameras, the demand for good photographers has opened a way for photography as a rising career option for many. It is turning out to be a very competitive one. High-quality photographs are now in great demand.
Zion Market Research stated that the global demand for digital photography is expected to reach approximately USD 110.79 billion in 2021.
Recent research on global digital photography market reveals a robust growth rate in India making lifestyle photography a promising career option.
(Image Credits: Shutterstock)
Edited by Asha Chowdary
(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)