How to Unlock the Infinite Potential of Photos for Lifestyle & Luxe Brands
Pictures and other digital assets can do more for your brand.
Believe it or not, the possibilities for branding, engagement, and growth are practically endless when you have extraordinary digital assets and smart visual marketing working for you.
In fact, with the right subject matter, perspective, and composition, your brand’s digital assets could drive greater exposure, stronger brand identity, and far greater customer interest and loyalty.
Here’s how — and what it really takes to create compelling pictures and digital assets for lifestyle and luxury brands.
Lifestyle & Luxury Brand Photos: What to Feature
Stock images and in-the-moment photos caught with a smartphone can only go so far. What they miss is the personal touch — the unique factor — that only your brand can deliver.
To start capturing that in striking photos and unforgettable images that folks are going to want more of, feature items like these in your brand pictures and photos:
Products being used and/or services in “action”
Storefronts and street views of the premises
Different areas, rooms, or departments of the business or venue
Employees posed or interacting with customers
Events for customers, staff, and/or the community
Signage, architecture, and/or art on-site or related to the brand
Anything “new” that supports your brand story
Digital Assets for Luxe Brands: How to Capture Better Pictures & Photos (13 Tips)
Exceptional photos for lifestyle and luxury brands will communicate style, sophistication, aspiration, and whatever unique story that brand has to share.
To make that happen for new, growing, or rebranding businesses (in or outside of a lifestyle or luxury niche), this is what it takes to take the best photos and truly capture inspired images that will get noticed.
1. Know Your Brand Identity
Your brand identity should be the foundation of your digital assets. If you can dial into the values, personality, and target audience for your brand, you’ll be able to start:
Curating better subject matter
Refining your tone and visual messaging
Conveying a crystal-clear story that’s memorable and spellbinding in its own way.
If you’re not sure how to define your brand identity or whether it’s cogent enough, check out our Guide on Cohesive Branding.
2. Focus on Quality
Storyboards and planning, along with lighting and staging, can go a long way to setting up incredibly high-quality shots that capture exquisite images.
So, take some time to plan ahead and consider framing, lighting, setup, and other details.
Two dozen extraordinary photos are far more useful than 200 blurry, off-center, or common pictures (that may send the wrong message about a brand, like suggesting inexperience, a willingness to cut corners with service, or a general lack of inspiration).
3. Choose the Right Settings
Background matters. In fact, the best backdrops can enhance branding and build on brand cohesion, adding another layer to the story presented in photos.
Keep in mind that the “right” setting will be different for every brand — and that you may want to experiment with settings, especially for different subject matters.
For instance, some settings that tend to work well for lifestyle marketing and luxury brands include:
City buildings, fluorescent lights, and traffic for jet-setting brands
Lobbies, penthouses, spas, and pools for hotels and hospitality brands
Tablescapes, kitchens, and storefronts for restaurants and breweries
Cocktails, barscapes, dance floors, and fun lighting for bars and clubs
Greenery and naturescapes for health-focused luxe brands
4. Feature the “Best”
What would your best customers buy from you? Show off those “marquee,” top-line items and services — and try to capture how your offersings are different. That could include featuring unique styles, thoughtful touches, inspired designs, and other cool features.
It should also involve:
Items that are in pristine condition
Careful arrangement to highlighting craftsmanship and/or special features
Editing to ensure supporting features don’t detract from the focal point(s) of your photos
5. Emphasize Details
While some brand photos will be panoramic pictures that capture a whole scene, don’t be afraid to zoom in, so you can emphasize:
Textures
Materials
Finishes
Exceptional quality
That can be easier to dial into for products. With services, these details can focus on the extras or the elegant touches, like specific design components, high-end fixtures, or “added” value that comes with your service(s).
6. Context
Feature actions, elegant settings, or even “exotic” locations in your pictures. Keep in mind that “exotic” doesn’t mean you have to fly across the world to a tropical beach; it can also involve showing off areas that the average person wouldn’t typically see or necessarily notice at first.
Inspired context can instantly invite any viewer into a scene, adding to the “feel” and experience branded photos transmit.
7. Storytelling
Your brand’s photos should tell a story of what it’s like to be your customer or experience your brand. These stories can:
Show your products and services in use.
Express emotions and align with your brand’s values.
Offer a sort of “how to” or guide on what your products and/or services can do for someone.
The art of storytelling through pictures can be tricky, especially when you’re trying to carve out a distinct voice and say something interesting while connecting.
Check out the photos below to see how the Alias team has told unique stories through gorgeous photos for our clients, including Abaca, Bambara, the Alton Hotel, Hotel Monaco, and many others.
8. Models
If you want people in your brand visuals and digital assets, choose your models carefully. As you do, try to go with models who:
Embody the lifestyle or fashion sense represented by your brand
Are well-groomed, with smart style that fits your luxe or lifestyle brand
Expressive, so you can capture and communicate the right emotions and feelings
Somewhat representative of your target audience and customer
9. Composition
Before snapping photos, consider the composition for your brand’s pictures. That means double-checking elements like (but not limited to):
Camera angles
Overall composition
Natural vs. artificial lighting
Positioning of subject matter
Working out composition can be a little easier when you use the rule of thirds, leading lines, and other photographic principles. With all that, remember, the ultimate goal is to compose a visually appealing frame.
10. Color Palettes
Colors in branded digital assets should complement each other while:
Delivering enough contrast to create clarity and crispness
Invoking the right emotions in viewers
The best branded photos and digital assets can take this a step further by incorporating elements and colors of a logo, echoing the brand visually in a way.
11. Emotion
Whether your brand is about living the good life, treating yourself, or enjoying anything a little more, you want your photos to evoke feelings and emotions in the viewers. Those emotions could include (and are not limited to):
Excitement
Optimism
Fun and adventure
A sense of class
Whatever emotions you want to inspire, make sure they align with the values and messaging of your brand.
12. Depth
Play with the sense of depth in your photos by shifting focus around the main subject(s). While this can highlight different elements of a product or scene, it can also create a sense of movement and action that enhances the story you’re telling.
13. Consistency
Visual consistency can be inviting, easy for viewers to process, and very pleasing to the eye. To strike the right cord with consistency, keep an eye on cohesion in terms of:
Colors
Shapes
Patterns and textures
Tone and mood
Background and foreground elements
The more consistent your branded photos are, the more outstanding and recognizable they can be.
How to Fine Tune & Advance Brand Photos & Digital Assets
Working with lifestyle marketing and brand photography experts, like the team at Alias, can transform and elevate your pictures and digital assets, regardless of whether you’re launching a new product, rebranding, or trying to edge out your biggest competitors in any space.
Our team has been behind countless digital asset projects, handling everything from planning, storyboarding, and conceptualization to photo shoots, reshoots, photo editing, social media marketing focused on digital assets, and more.
Whenever you’re ready to do more with the pictures and photos for your brand, contact our team.