In this article, we delve into the power of lifestyle photography for wine brands. We’ll (briefly!) explore compelling research that highlights the impact of lifestyle photography on consumer behavior and helps you get this investment across the line. We’ll discuss how emotional connections, subconscious influences, and storytelling through images can significantly enhance your brand’s DTC sales. And we’ll share our top tips for getting, using, and finding the right shots for your wine marketing.
The impact of lifestyle photography as a marketing tool can be profound, as revealed by a 2020 study from ApexDrop. This research showed that shoppers exposed to lifestyle content on an eCommerce site were a staggering 187% more likely to make a purchase compared to those who weren’t exposed to such content. These customers didn’t just stop at buying; they tended to spend more money, with average order values being 17% higher. Even better, the time spent on a website spiked by 288% when lifestyle photos were included, and this means more opportunities for storytelling and conversion.
But why does lifestyle photography have such a powerful effect? A 2017 study from the University of Southern California sheds light on this by revealing three key ways consumers perceive brands:
- Human-like Characteristics: Consumers often attribute human-like forms, minds, and personality traits to brands. This anthropomorphism means that consumers are more likely to engage with brands that they perceive as having relatable or desirable human qualities.
- Congruence with the Self: Brands are often seen as congruent with, or connected to, the consumer’s self-identity. This means that consumers are drawn to brands that they feel align with their own values, beliefs, and lifestyles. (I liken this to the Matrix’s perceived self-identity — remember, it’s what we THINK we are, not what we REALLY are!)
- Analogous to Human Relationships: Consumers may view their relationship with a brand similarly to their relationships with people. This can range from casual acquaintance to deep, loyal connections, depending on how the brand resonates with them on a personal level. If you’ve ever stuck with a winery through a bad vintage, JUST BECAUSE YOU LOVE THEM, you’ll know what I’m talking about.
Delving deeper into the psychology behind purchasing decisions, Harvard Professor Gerald Zaltman asserts that a whopping 95% of our purchase decision-making occurs in the subconscious mind. Here’s where lifestyle photography becomes a game-changer for your wine brand:
- Emotions drive purchasing behaviors. Lifestyle photography, by showcasing products within real-life contexts, can evoke emotions and connect on a deeper level with consumers. For example, a picture of a family enjoying a meal together can evoke feelings of warmth and togetherness, which can be associated with the products featured.
- Subconscious Influence. Since most purchasing decisions are subconscious, lifestyle photography can subtly influence these decisions by depicting the product in an aspirational context. It allows consumers to imagine themselves in a desirable situation, which can be more compelling than just seeing the product alone.
- Beyond Product Features. Good marketing goes beyond just the product’s attributes. Lifestyle photography does exactly this – it sells the lifestyle and the feelings associated with the product, not just the product itself. Sell the sizzle, not the steak.
Great! Enough research, time for action! Let’s look at the do’s and don’ts for getting the shots you need and making them work for your brand:
Think like a Marketer:
Lifestyle photography plays a crucial role in marketing and advertising, primarily due to its ability to create authenticity, relate to consumers, and enhance brand messaging:
- Start by referring to your customer personas, they’re an awesome tool to understand and cater to the target audience. These fictional characters, representing typical buyers, can guide the creation of lifestyle imagery that speaks directly to the needs, preferences, and lifestyles of the actual customer base.
- Next, focus on aspirational, relatable, and authentic Imagery (I’ve just won Marketing Bingo!):Aim to create images that show what consumers can achieve or obtain with what you’re selling and help them see your product in the context of their everyday lives. Popular types of lifestyle images include candid shots, action shots, lifestyle portraits, and environmental portraits, each playing a role in effectively conveying your brand’s message and values.
- Don’t forget, visual storytelling is super powerful: don’t just set a table or start snapping pics of the vineyards. Think of your images like a story: a guest driving onto the property, being met by your FOH, experiencing the tasting or tour for the first time, making a purchase or signing up, and then, sharing that special bottle with people they love. OR, Placing an online order, receiving the shipment, unboxing, cellaring, and sharing. There are so many stories to tell with our wines, and you’ll craft better marketing campaigns when you view your lifestyle photography as storyboards rather than simple shotlists.
Think Like a Designer:
- Blend brand elements in photography: Strategically incorporate your brand’s colors and personality traits into your photos. This strengthens brand recognition and creates a visual connection with your audience. And please, make sure your labels are facing the camera!
- Establish a strong photo personality: If your brand lacks a distinct photo personality, invest time in defining it. What lifestyle settings, imagery, and narratives will most effectively speak to your target audience? Are you minimalist and austere, or maximalist and decadent? It could be as simple as ensuring that all your images are color graded to feel the same.
- Mindfully design your environment and styles: Lifestyle photos should use settings and photographic styles that appeal to your intended audience. Do you make canned wine great for camping? Then don’t shoot it in a carrara marble and chandelier-lit tasting room!
- Consider composition. This is a big one for the 5forests team. Be sure to include photos with copy space suited to your website, advertising, and social media needs.
Think like the person paying the bills:
- Thorough planning: Photography isn’t cheap. Be sure your team has prepared a detailed shot list for your photoshoots to ensure a diverse and comprehensive collection of images. If you need a starting point, download the 5forests’ Ultimate Shotlist of over 130 shots in the description below. It’s free!.
- Maximize the versatility of your images: Plan to use your lifestyle photos across a variety of materials, from Instagram stories to website hero shots to print collateral and large format advertising. You don’t want to have to call back your photographer because you don’t the right size photo!
- Stage multiple sets: For indoor photography, there’s nothing stopping you from getting Summer and Christmas and Mother’s Day shots on the same day. Planning in advance helps make this possible, it can make it cheaper to amass a useful photo library, and it will make your marketers happy.
- Think carefully about new labels. New labels mean throwing out historic images. Be sure to include new photos when you’re considering the costs of label design.
- Implement better photo management: This is a real problem we see with clients where photos are literally dumped into folders with no consideration for future findability. Proper naming, photo meta data, and photo descriptions are available on pretty much every photo saving system; making use of them can save your team hours of scrolling through gigabyte after gigabyte of photos just to find the right one (ask me how I know!)
We all know that lifestyle photography is one of the most efficient ways to strengthen emotional connection, increase conversions, and create coherent, persuasive storytelling across your digital presence. With sound planning and strategic use, your imagery can support every stage of the customer journey—from discovery to loyalty.
If you’d like help creating or organizing your photo library, you can always reach out to the 5forests team.
Plan Your Next Shoot with Confidence
If you’d like help turning this into a practical brief, download our free Ultimate Shotlist of Winery Photography that Sells. It walks you through every image type you need—pack shots, beauty shots, and lifestyle scenes—so you can arrive on set with a clear plan, save time, and come away with a library that actually supports your sales and marketing.
