Photography that shows your products in context — being used, styled, or experienced in real-life settings — rather than isolated on a white background.
It's the difference between a candle on a blank backdrop and a candle on a cozy nightstand next to an open book and a cup of tea.
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Lifestyle imagery is storytelling through visuals. It helps customers imagine how your product fits into their life, not just what it looks like in a vacuum.
For certain types of products, lifestyle images are essential:
- Home goods — show the vase on a shelf, the throw blanket on a sofa, the mug in someone's hands
- Apparel — show the fit, the drape, how it layers or moves
- Food/beverage — show it plated, poured, or being enjoyed
- Wellness/beauty — show it in a morning routine, on a vanity, in use
Lifestyle images do a few things that clean product shots can't:
- Contextualize scale and size (how big is that bowl, really?)
- Communicate vibe and values (is this minimalist? Cozy? Playful?)
- Create aspiration (customers see themselves in the scene)
- Reduce uncertainty (they can visualize how it works)
That said, lifestyle images shouldn't replace clean product photography — they should complement it. Customers need both: clear, detailed shots to evaluate the product itself, and lifestyle shots to understand how it fits into a bigger picture.
Examples / tips:
- Use lifestyle imagery on your homepage and collection pages to set the vibe, then lead with clean product shots on PDPs (with lifestyle images as supporting visuals).
- Style lifestyle shots to match your brand aesthetic — if you're minimal and airy, the setting should be too. If you're bold and maximalist, lean in.
- Show your product with complementary items (cross-sell opportunity!).
- For apparel, show multiple angles, body types, and styling options if possible.
- Lifestyle imagery doesn't have to be expensive studio work — user-generated content (UGC) can work beautifully if it's on-brand.
