Lifestyle & Mature Modeling

You may or may not have heard the term "lifestyle" and "mature" when it comes to modeling. These fields are very in demand in the industry and typically fall under the commercial/print category. As the name implies, "lifestyle" modeling describes images of models doing everyday activities. From talking on the phone to shopping, these kinds of gigs cast for men and women that are usually in their 20s, 30s and even 40s. You can think of lifestyle modeling images as a candid look into someone's life (only staged with a professional photographer and experienced models haha). Oftentimes, these kinds of projects need families and will cast for male and female lifestyle models that look like they could be parents. Of course the child and teen models are also cast to complete the rest of the family. Other projects cast for couples to do a variety of activites from walking and holding hands to cuddling and eating dinner or even checking email together.

Here are a few examples of lifestyle modeling (that's me and my male model partner, Lyndon, in the second and fourth photos, which was taken during a recent lifestyle shoot I did in San Francisco):

Although most careers for fashion models are considered "over" by the time they are in their early to mid 20s, print models are able to extend their careers because of categories like lifestyle modeling. Because it is commercial in nature, this means that these models do not necessarily have to look "young" or maintain perfect measurements. This definitely allows these kinds of models to not have to worry about their weight, which is always a plus. As long as you are proportional and healthy, you'll be good to go. Some agencies automatically consider models that are 25 or older to be lifestyle models. Of course if you happen to look younger, then that may change how your agent markets you. Nothing is exactly set in stone and does vary from model to model in some cases.

Mature modeling involves using male and female models that are in their 40s and older--this is a great market for any man or woman within this age range that has played around with the idea of pursuing modeling. Even if it's just part time or for fun, if you've got a great look and are photogenic, then mature modeling could be something worth looking into. Just as there is a demand for models in the lifestyle category based on the demographic of the average consumer, there is also a special niche market for mature models. The nature of work that accompanies mature modeling is also commercial/print related and these images frequently appear on stock photography sites, in catalogs, brochures, advertisements and on packaging labels for certain products.

Here are some images of mature models: