Lifestyle Sessions

[photoguy99]

There seems to be this category of commercial photography which, I think, can be generally lumped under the term Lifestyle Sessions. These are senior sessions, engagement sessions, lifestyle portraits, etc.

We see these a lot on here, and on photographer's web sites. It's always a dozen or two dozen photos, sometimes different locations or outfits or both. You know these things I mean, right?

What do the clients actually do with these? Is the medium sized "set" culled down to one or two to print and hang on a wall? Is there a book that gets made and put on a shelf, to be looked at from time to time? Do they just share them on facebook? All of the above?

I've been trying to imagine what I would do with a dozen more or less similar photographs of myself, or my kids, or whatever.

 

[tirediron]

Psssss.... that would actually be retail photography!

I think it would depend a lot on your age. Younger people today, and especially younger families (mid 30s and younger) seem a lot more "in" to that sort of thing. I don't really get it either...

 

[photoguy99]

Err. 'Retail' instead of 'commercial'?

Good point! Commercial is a term of art meaning, um, product photography etc?

I get confused.

Still in curious what happens to the images.. Anyone?

 

[photoguy99]

You can tell I'm a software guy I guess. The land where 'commercial' means 'for money'.

 

[KmH]

The images are made for personal use by the people in the photographs.

The photographers model release (part of the contract) usually allows the photographer to use the images for commercial purposes - at the least - advertisement and promotion of the photographer. My release allowed my to use any retail

Retail photography is making photos for the public, and the people in the photos buy the photos for their personal use.
Use licensing is usually in perpetuity, but commercial use and submission to contests/competitions is routinely prohibited.

Commercial photography is making photos for a business to use for promotion, advertising, internal use, investor publications, etc.
People in the photos may be employees of the business or models/actors.
Use licensing is much more specific and defines exclusive or non-exclusive use, geographical usage limits, media type(s), time frame, size, number of impressions, and any other terms the client and photographer need.

I have negative, positive, and digital files archived of every retail or commercial photograph I have ever sold.
Twice in 30 years former retail customers have contacted me because they lost all the photos I had previously made for them. One instance due to a home fire, the other due to a tornado.
I was able to get those files out of my archive and provide new prints for those customers.

 

[rwilliams]

I usually see most people pick one or two that actually go on a wall, a lot of people get albums of all the photos, and then of course they all go on facebook to see how many likes they can get