A lifestyle is a general way of living that is characterized by certain attitudes, values and worldviews. It also includes habits and practices that are related to health, entertainment, eating and dress. It can also reflect one’s personality and social status. A healthy lifestyle is a balanced life in which all aspects work together and are under control.
A person’s lifestyle reflects the environment in which they live, their culture and their family. It is important to understand that people have different lifestyles and can make choices about how they want to live their lives. For example, a person who wants to live a glamorous lifestyle might choose to wear designer clothes and spend money on luxurious things. A person who wants to be healthy might eat a balanced diet and exercise regularly.
The concept of lifestyle has been used in many social and psychological analyses. The early analysis, by Alfred Adler and others, interprets a person’s lifestyle as the framework of his or her guiding principles and judgement system that influences decisions throughout the course of a person’s life. More recently, Milton Rokeach and Arnold Mitchell have developed models of a person’s personality and the factors that influence him or her. These approaches to personality are based on a theory of human motivation and development.
Other studies of lifestyle focus on the dynamics of the interaction between people and the context in which they live. Thorstein Veblen opens this perspective by asserting that people adopt specific’schemes of life’ and specifically patterns of conspicuous consumption depending on a desire to distinguish themselves from the social strata they identify as inferior and a desire for emulation of those whom they believe enjoy or deserve prestige. Max Weber intends that the lifestyle is a distinctive element of status groups strictly connected with a dialectic of recognition of prestige and that it reflects processes of differentiation, identification and positioning in society, both between and within classes.
Despite the fact that lifestyle is generally considered a personal issue, it has some relevance in sustainable development discourses. For example, a consumeristic lifestyle with an emphasis on acquiring certain artefacts may lead to environmental problems such as exploiting natural resources and producing huge amounts of waste or greenhouse gases. Another area in which the concept of lifestyle is useful is in discussions about the link between behaviour and the impact of the economy on sustainable development.
Taking lifestyle photos involves capturing the subject in their natural environment. It is important to get close-up shots of the face and body, but it is equally important to capture the larger surroundings. Getting shots of the environment in which a family lives and plays is vital to a successful photo. It is also important to allow a little spontaneity. A spilled glass of juice or a toy that someone has not put away can add a sense of reality to the shot and help your photos look more natural.