Arnold Newman

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.

This is a photo of Alfried Krupp taken in 1963 for Newsweek .

Emotional Response:

My first thought when I saw this image was that Krupp looked like he was scheming or plotting something. The picture gave me a very creepy and eerie vibe to it, as Krupp looks very sinister and evil. I also like how the background almost frames him. Also, the way he stares directly at the camera gives a sense that he has power, as it looks like he is looking down on us. Krupp is wearing a suit which shows his wealth and power, which creates a sinister feel again. The feeling of him being in a clean and well made suit against to the derelict and abandoned behind it also shows a contrast of rich and poor. That contrast gives off a feeling of Krupp showing that he is better and richer than everybody else.

Technical Response:

The picture is in colour so it shows more of the derelict and dirty factory, which also shows more texture in the photo. In the photo it appears that Krupp is being framed by the walls, which shows the difference between the background and him. The photo has a high aperture and a large depth of field, and the lighting is dark and dim, which also correlates to the darkness of the abandoned factory.

Contextual Response:

Newman overall idea for this photo was to portray Krupp as an evil and corrupt person for his environmental series in 1963, as he was transporting weapons and materials during the second world war to the Nazis and also using slave labor in his factories during the Nazi reign, and he had been imprisoned after World War II for his central role in Hitler’s war machine.

Conceptual Response:

The most evident message in this photo is that you are made to believe that Krupp is scheming something evil and cruel. You could also interpret as Krupp is the owner of the derelict factory behind him and Krupp is trying to show that he is bigger and better than the abandoned building behind him.