Crafting Brand Authenticity: A Deep Dive into the Influence of Commercial Lifestyle Photography

The landscape of marketing and brand representation is constantly evolving, and visual content stands as a powerful tool for creating a lasting impact. Your brand’s digital visuals are the front door into your brand experience, and give your future customers and clients and sneak peek into their experience with you. It’s something I think about with my clients on a daily basis, and I’m feeling chatty today, so let’s chat commercial lifestyle photography and how it has the potential to elevate your brand aesthetics to unprecedented heights.

A Fresh Approach

We are inundated with images, standing out requires a fresh perspective. In order to participate fully in today’s digital consumer culture, you need marketing that spans high end photography and video and candid, user generated (UGC) content. As a commercial lifestyle photographer, I’m thinking about all of the media channels you use (or will use in the near future) when I’m working. It's more than just capturing perfectly crafted moments; it's about infusing your brand with a distinctive and human vibe that sets it apart in the market.

The Captivating Power of Visual Content

Human beings are inherently visual creatures, and the impact of striking visuals on brand perception cannot be overstated. My approach goes beyond the baseline – I aim to create an emotional connection between your brand and your audience. Through carefully curated imagery, we strive to evoke feelings, tell stories, and leave an impression with your customers.

Making a Lasting Impression

In the fast-paced digital age, attention spans are fleeting. To truly make an impact, your brand needs visuals that resonate instantly. In my decade of experience, I’ve learned what images are worth making and how to compose a shot that endures, shaping perceptions and fostering brand loyalty.

Tailoring Aesthetics to Your Brand Essence

One size does not fit all in the world of branding. Our team understands the nuances of your business, and our photography and content is a reflection of that understanding. Whether you're aiming for sleek and modern or warm and inviting, your brand is welcome. My skills and experience build to a place of getting to know your brand, and interpreting it visually.

Beyond the Ordinary: Creating Shareable Content

In the age of social media dominance, shareability is key. Our commercial lifestyle photography doesn't just stop at creating visually appealing content; it's about crafting shareable moments that resonate across platforms. I keep things in mind like taking shots in multiple orientations for optimized usage across all platforms, from Instagram to email. Elevate your social media presence with images that tell a story, engage your audience, and spark conversations. Your photos are delivered in a user-friendly digital gallery with no watermarks. No confusing back and forth.

Ready to Transform?

Talking brand imagery is my favorite, and even more, meeting my clients and building lasting relationships aligns with my highest values. I would love to connect with you about your business. The clients that I work with range from interiors and architecture to small business to Airbnb hosts, to travel and hospitality, to massage therapists and artists and beyond. Reach out by email at emily@emilykeeney.com anytime.

Lifestyle Brand Photography in Seattle | Bamboo Abode

Creating a visually stunning brand is an art form, and capturing your product in a visually beautiful way is so impactful to the development and success of your brand identity. In commercial photoshoots, not only is the goal to attract new customers, but to hone in on the story that your brand tells so that it attracts raving fans vs just driving individual conversions. Planning your photoshoot is a collaborative process between us, and the more you’re able to bring to the table the better the result.

This recent shoot with Bamboo Abode is the poster child for what happens when a brand has done their homework and planning to create a beautiful shoot. There is enough structure for success while leaving some white space for improvisation and the unpredictable moments where light shines in in just a certain way.

1. Inspiration and Theme: Start by gathering inspiration for your photoshoot. Consider the vibe you want to convey – is it rustic and cozy, modern and chic, or perhaps a blend of both? Choose a theme that aligns with your brand and the message you want to send.

2. Location Scouting: Seattle is brimming with photogenic locations that can enhance the visual appeal of your charcuterie board. Make sure the location complements your chosen theme and provides ample natural light for those perfect shots.

3. Product Design: Before the photoshoot, carefully curate your products to reflect your brand's aesthetic. Consider the color palette, textures, and arrangement of elements. When you’re going for a brand photoshoot, it’s less about featuring every single piece you offer and more about creating an intentional collection to tell the strongest story.

4. Props and Styling: Enhance the visual storytelling of your brand by incorporating props and styling elements. In this shoot, we used elegant serving utensils, rustic cutting boards, fresh herbs, and decorative plates to add a touch of sophistication to the photos. Consider the overall color scheme and choose props that complement the theme and mood of your shoot. We brought the products to life with a lifestyle portion to the shoot models interacting with the product.

5. Plan & Outline: Think about the final use of the images you’re creating. Where will they be used? What orientation will the need to be shot in to provide the crop ratio you’ll need? What are the most important themes you need to explore? Using all of this information, draft an outline. Even if the shoot strays a bit from this, it will ensure the most important elements are covered. I love leaving space for inspiration to strike and for improvisation. I’m happy to help in the production but am not a brand agency, so the more direction you come into the shoot process with the better the result.

Enjoy these photos from our Bamboo Abode shoot! Shop their beautiful products here!

The Thing I Almost Gave Away

I practically gave away our kitchen aid mixer five years ago. It’s a heavy piece of machinery and it’s sometimes hard to justify its kitchen real estate (especially when we were moving around a lot in our early marriage!). Someone told me to hold onto it because I’d bake more when I had kids. At that time I wasn’t even sure kids were in the future but I listened to their advice. And lo and behold, now that I have kids, spending a quiet nap time alone in the kitchen baking actually is pretty great.

Last weekend I walked over to the apple tree in the yard and picked a few and tried @onceuponachef’s apple cake recipe and DAMN. The scent of baked apple wafted up the stairs and drew my family down where we devoured half of it before it even cooled.

Here is the recipe. (Note I subbed whole milk for dark rum and was very happy with the results!)

An Easy 1-Minute Lunch

I’m a big believer in the “miracle product” over here. Anything that does multiple duty and will take my situation from average to fantastic is an instant win in my book. So yesterday, during a quick run to my local Trader Joe’s, I was specifically on a hunt for key ingredients to make my life quicker and easier (and moreover, to make delicious, healthy and FAST lunches).

I always love to grab a pack of their cooked chicken from the refrigerator section. It’s easy to throw into lots of recipes, and we had a lot of salad greens at home that I didn’t want to go to waste (is there any worse feeling than pitching unused produce?!). I also grabbed a package of organic blueberries, which they always seem to have and at a pretty decent price. Then, I saw it:

I don’t know if it’s a new product or just new-to-me, but this Vegan Creamy Dill Dressing caught my eye right away. I’ve used TJ’s dressings in salads and grain bowls on many occasions, and they always level things up. Since I’ve been trying to rely less on dairy and I had only some sad and almost empty salad dressings at home I decided to give this a whirl.

The verdict? Do not pass go, do not collect $200, just get thee to Trader Joe’s and get this dressing ASAP. I threw together this salad in under 1 minute and ate it just about as fast. The dressing is creamy, not overpowering, and makes this otherwise basic salad feel really special.

Pro tip: keep a bag of wonton strips on hand. Last year when Sam was born we subscribed to a meal service box, and I noticed how having these little extra toppings really make things go the extra mile.

I’m also excited to mix this dressing into chicken salad with grapes and walnuts, or to use as a dip with fresh veggies.