Overview: An environmental portrait is a portrait executed in the subject's usual environment, such as in their home or workplace, and typically illuminates the subject's life and surroundings.
By photographing a person in their natural surroundings, it is thought that you will be able to better illuminate their character, and therefore portray the essence of their personality, rather than merely a likeness of their physical features. It is also thought that by photographing a person in their natural surroundings, the subject will be more at ease, and so be more conducive to expressing themselves, as opposed to in a studio, which can be a rather intimidating and artificial experience.
Part 1: Project Proposal (Due Friday, March 4th)
Directions: Write a proposal (3 paragraphs) articulating what we will see in your Environmental Portrait. The proposal should include:
1) Who are you taking the photo of?
2) Where are are you taking the photo?
3) What story does the relationship between the subject and background tell?
Part 2: Portrait (Due Friday, March 18th)
Directions: Spend two weeks (Monday, March 7th - Friday, March 18th) exploring taking digital
portraits of your friends and family in a location that tells a
story/gives context to the photo.
DUE FRIDAY, MARCH 18th:
Take at least 5 photos and choose your favorite photo to share
with the class. Use photoshop to enhance your photos using levels, curves, and the healing brush tool (among other tools) to enhance your final portrait.
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| "The Builder" Portrait by Jeffrey Newell |
"The Patriot"
Portrait by Jeffrey Newell
TIPS: 1) Spend time getting to know your subject:
Before
you select a location and start shooting, spend some time getting to
know your subject. Find out where they spend their time, what the rhythm
of their life is like and observing their personality. Out of this
you’ll not only find appropriate locations but will begin to get a feel
for the style of shots that might be appropriate and you’ll begin the
process of helping your subject relax into the photo shoot. If possible
it might even be helpful to accompany your subject to some possible
locations to see both how they look but also how your subject behaves
and interacts there.
2) Choosing a Location:
Sometimes
a location chooses you (it’s easy) but on other occasions you need to
be quite deliberate and purposeful in making your choice (and it can
take a lot of searching). When choosing your environment you ideally
want to get one that:
- says something about your subject – after all that’s what this style of photography is all about
- adds interest to the shot - as I’ve written in previous tutorials – every element in an image can add or detract from your shots. The environment that you place your subject in needs to provide context and be interest without overwhelming the shot
3) Props?:
Props
can make or break an environmental portrait. If they are subtle and
naturally fit within the context of the environment they can be very
appropriate and add to the image nicely but you’ll want to avoid
anything that doesn’t quite fit or that potentially distracts the
attention of viewers. The same goes for the clothes that your subject
wears. Try to be true to the context without getting too outlandish.
4) Posing:
What
sets the environmental portrait apart from candid portraits is that you
post your subject (it’s a fine line and you might end up doing a bit of
both in any given shoot). Don’t be afraid to direct your subject to
sit, stand or act in a certain way that fits with the environment that
you’re shooting in. Some of the poses might seem slightly unnatural and
dramatic but it’s often these more purposely posed shots that are more
dramatic and give a sense of style to your shot.
The
expression on the face of your subject is also very important in
environmental photography and you should consider how it fits with the
overall scene. For example if you’re shooting in a formal environment it
may not be appropriate to have your subject with a big cheesy smile and
you might like a more somber or serious look. Again – mix it up to see
what does and doesn’t work
5) Camera Settings:
There
is no right or wrong way to set your camera up for an environmental
portrait as it will depend completely upon the effect you’re after and
the situation you’re shooting in. You might find that shooting at a
smaller aperture (larger numbers) will be appropriate as it will help
keep the foreground and background in focus. I generally shoot with a
wider focal length in these situations also to give the environment
prominence in the shot. Of course this doesn’t mean you can’t shoot more
tightly cropped or with a large aperture and shallow depth of field –
ultimately anything goes and you’ll probably want to mix up your shots a
little.
Photo by Elias Williams
Photo by Elias Williams
Photo by Elias Williams
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