Lifestyle Product Photography vs Studio Product Photography: What Works Best for CPG Food Brands?

As a product photographer, my goal for your product shoot is to bring your concept to life in a way that your brand will actually feel the benefits of, not just produce imagery that looks nice. I’ve seen firsthand how investing in the right kind of product imagery increases customer acquisition, establishes trust, and ultimately, generates more sales. So, if you’re a marketer for a CPG food brand and considering investing in product photography, here's everything you need to know when deciding between lifestyle photography vs studio product photography. 

Lifestyle Product Photography: An Overview

Lifestyle product photography is all about telling a story about your product. How it’s used, who uses it, how it fits into daily life. It’s a strong tool that makes a buyer actually picture themself using your product as opposed to just seeing your product for what it is. And that connection? That’s what takes buyers from consideration to purchase. 

A good example of lifestyle product photography in action is this shoot I did with Peluva, a footwear brand. We created a scenario picturing their target clients using the shoes in the way that their buyer actually would. 

When You Should Choose Lifestyle Product Photography

Lifestyle photography helps CPG brands in visualizing their target audience. For example, a healthy, organic, better-for-you food brand hoping to reach an active, health-conscious buyer may use a 35, fit, female model. EllyPop, a functional freeze pop brand may want to use lifestyle photography featuring children on a school ground to showcase that this brand is designed with the everyday kid in mind.

Another advantage of lifestyle product photography is its creative flexibility across most marketing channels – website banners, social media, print advertising… You name it. A lifestyle image of your product being used goes much further than a studio image of your product shot on white.

You can see my full, in-depth guide to everything to know about lifestyle product photography here! 

Studio Product Photography: An Overview

Now, moving on to the classics: studio product photography. This is the product photography that you most commonly see across different platforms, and for good reason. It’s imagery that has served CPG food brands well time after time. 

Using a studio for product photography gives you the chance to get images that really put a spotlight on every part of your product – ingredients, nutrition labels, packaging, and even product groups. Studio product photography produces hero images that become the core visual backbone to any campaign.

When You Should Choose Studio Product Photography

If you don't already have a content library with hero images of your product, specifically in its packaging, then studio product photography is a must. These images serve as the bread and butter of your marketing creative. Use them to design campaign launch assets, upgrade web banners, beef up PDP listings, print marketing collateral, craft scroll-stopping ads, and so much more.

A good product hero image showcases the product. A great product hero image showcases the brand, like a buyer saying, "Yum, a refreshing bottle of peach tea," vs "Wow, another incredible flavor of ice tea by Just Ice Tea."

Note that studio product photography isn't just for capturing hero shots. A well-rounded content library should also contain detail shots, how-to-use shots, ingredient highlights, lifestyle shots (as highlighted above), product family shots, full collection shots, and scroll-stopping creative shots, to name a few. A studio photography session can also be used to capture these types of imagery.

If you’re looking for studio product photography ideas that actually sell, here’s my full guide. 

Why a Well-Rounded Product Photoshoot Includes Both Lifestyle Product Photography and Studio Product Photography

A well-rounded content library includes both lifestyle photography and photography captured in studio. Including imagery captured from both a lifestyle shoot and a studio shoot tells the most complete story of your brand and product from who you are, what you're offering, whom you're offering to, and why they should care. Together, lifestyle photography and studio photography tell the story of your brand. And in today’s buying world, clear, bold, and varied visuals help your consumer make an informed purchasing decision. 

Jeremy Lee | Product Photographer

If you’re ready to talk about what type of product photography is going to work best for your CPG food brand, click here to set up a call. Again, I’ll always guide you as a strategist + creative director, never as just a vendor.