What Is Environmental Portraiture?

Environmental portraiture refers to images that often show people in specific locations that indicate something to the viewer about their personality, routines, likes and dislikes. Photographers often photograph people in places that they live or work to give us clues about their lives and how they have lived or are currently living.

Examples Of Environmental Portraits Found of Google

In both of these examples, the image is set up and the subject, thus being the person, is aware that the photo is being taken. This is called a formal portrait. The top image shows the subject in a place which clearly gives the viewer an understanding of the persons hobbies. The second image show the subjects in their natural workplace. The surroundings and backgrounds in environmental portraits is a key factor as it is used to convey further information about the person being photographed.