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AUGUST 2017 | ISSUE NO. 02

Posed, Lifestyle and Documentary : What's the difference?

UNRAVELING THE CONFUSION: POSED VS. LIFESTYLE VS. DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY CONTENTS

ALL POSED TO UNPOSED 03THE SPECTRUM OF POSING

T H E W H Y HERE'S THE DEAL04

THE NITTY GRITTY POSED VS. LIFESTYLE VS. 05DOCUMENTARY TAKE THE LEAP WHAT'S NEXT?09 T H E most posed SPECTRUM OF POSED POSING

Photography styles are confusing. I get it. So, before we really get into the nitty gritty of these different styles, take a gander at this handy dandy graph. The graph moves from most posed to less posed to not posed. At the top of the graph is posed photography, at the bottom, documentary photography, with lifestyle photography in the less posed middle. Posed photography is just that, the most posed, and documentary photography is not posed or orchestrated at all. LIFESTYLE

not posed

DOCUMENTARY

03 | POSED VS. LIFESTYLE VS. DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY • AUGUST 2017 Here's the deal... BY LAURA DUNHAM

Posed pictures really aren't my thing. They never have been, and growing up as the youngest of 15 cousins, whom now have 31 children under 12 years-old between them, posed photography really didn't stand a chance. Give corralling said 31 kiddos for a nice, smiling, no crying, screaming or complaining shot - yea, good luck. Why are we doing this to ourselves? Why are we trying to make the kiddos act like smiling, stick alien beings when they're really kids? Why do we always try for that same posed family picture year after year when we could be curating memories while creating images that truly capture who our children are, who are families are? Why are we trying to make this picture of supposed perfection? That's why I love documentary and lifestyle photography. It's real life. It's real smiles, real tears, real smirks, real joys, and real frustrations. It's the messy, the imperfect, but always the moments and images that hold so much more power and meaning in our memories, than the "Stand here, turn your head this way, put your hand here, lower your elbow" of yesteryear. While it's true lifestyle and documentary photography aren't posed, the styles can be confusing and overwhelming. Read on to understand what posed, lifestyle and documentary photography really mean.

04 | POSED VS. LIFESTYLE VS. DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY • AUGUST 2017 Posed Photography

Posed photography is just that, posed. Choose a beautiful location, the will tell you where to sit, stand, kneel, how to look, how to hold your head, where to place your hands, and whether to smile or look serious. This is a style I try to avoid in my work. Occasionally, I'll get a vision in my head, get super excited, and suddenly tell you where to stand and what to do, but that is not the norm. Posed photography isn't real life, and I want real life.

Note: You won't find posed pictures in this guide, as I don't have any of those to share. 05 | POSED VS. LIFESTYLE VS. DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY • AUGUST 2017 Lifestyle photography is less directed than Lifestyle posed photography, more directed than documentary photography, but is still largely unscripted. When in a lifestyle session, the Photography photographer sets up a scenario for the SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE subject – instructing them where to stand, what they should be doing, or gives them something to laugh or talk about – before watching the action unfold, and capturing it from there.

06 | POSED VS. LIFESTYLE VS. DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY • AUGUST 2017 Documentary Photography

REAL LIFE PHOTOGRAPHY

To get right down to it, documentary With documentary photography, I use my photography has some overlap with more to document than direct. in that the resulting images Documentary photography captures people are created with no instruction, interaction in real-life events or milestones, in their or interference from the photographer. (The bedrooms and living rooms, cooking dinner, images in this post were created at a party, enjoying the everyday. It’s relaxed, documentary photography style!) So, this unscripted, and the result is strikingly style lends itself to the capture of some truly beautiful. powerful, moving, and downright hilarious .

07 | POSED VS. LIFESTYLE VS. DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY • AUGUST 2017 My Style I like to think my work is a mixture of both documentary and lifestyle photography, which is why I often describe myself as a Documentary Lifestyle Photographer. However, my work falls under the umbrella of documentary photography far more often than lifestyle photography, and this is actually something I’ve been working toward for some time.

Day-in-the-Life sessions are where I thrive. These are sessions where I am literally just hanging out with a family or couple chronicling their daily happenings. Even if I’m not spending an entire day with a family – these sessions can be anywhere from 2-hours to 12- hours – I prefer to approach all of my sessions this way. Real Life The heart of lifestyle and documentary photography is to show the beauty in real, everyday, seemingly mundane moments in your life. Don't let that scare or deter you. Think about your mom, your grandma, dad, brother, etc. What do you remember about growing up with them? Do you remember perfection? Did you enjoy those posed photo shoots? Or, do you remember they way they laughed, kisses on the cheek, a solid hug, catching fireflies together? Real life is worth remembering. Real life - all the tears, imperfect hair, scars and tears is worth remembering.

08 | POSED VS. LIFESTYLE VS. DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY • AUGUST 2017 What's Next?

If you're ready to say "No" to posed, and "Yes" to real life, let's get the ball rolling to document your memories! Get in Touch E: laura @lauraglenphotography.com W: www.lauraglenphotography.com P: 720-443-1261

09 | POSED VS. LIFESTYLE VS. DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY • AUGUST 2017