For my environmental portraits I took pictures of my mum who works in an archive. The lighting was overall quite hard to work with as the building doesn’t have much natural lighting  due to preserving old letters and artwork. As well as that it was hard at the start to get my mum to make eye contact without smiling or laughing, but the more photos I took the more comfortable she began to felt and it became less awkward in general. Due to the fact that a family member was the person I was taking photos of, I did find it easier to take control of the shoot and achieve the angle and positioning I wanted. I ensured that eye contact was made between my mum and the cameras in my final section of photos as they felt the most effective as an environmental portrait. I felt a natural expression rather than an a faked smile as it seems more fitted to the working environment. In most photos I took it from a level angle, in which the lens was at the same height as my mum’s eyes. On the other hand I took it from an upwards angle in the ones where my mum was on a ladder. I felt that me being lower showed a sense of authority from my mum which worked well as i am the visitor as she is the only one with a key to the store room and she is in them everyday. I wanted to take up an angle which showed a clear sign of territory because like ones work place is very similar to ones home because they are there nearly all day for 5 days, some people spend more time at work then at home. For instance if I was to enter someones home for the first time i would be respectful and sit where i was told, only come round when invited, which is what I wanted to gain from low angle a sense of obdeince and respect towards my mum and her working environment.In this shoot I wanted to break the gender stereotype of man at work and how there are supposed to be the ones who lift heavy objects, this ties in with the photos in the archive store rooms in which my mum has to move documents and art daily. As well as that I wanted to take picture of my mum as her line of work as its less common in a island which is dominated by the finance sector. I have several other family members who I considered for this task but they all work in offices and I wanted to capture a portrait within an environment of work which is scarce in Jersey. Even though Jersey Archive doesn’t have the best lighting for photography sue to its lack of windows it is a very modern building which goes very well in contrast with the extremely old documents, art work and film that my mum repairs.

Final Outcomes

My Response:

Best Images:

August Sander was a German photographer who was born November 17, 1876 in Germany and died April 20, 1964. He got his first camera in 1892, and began taking up photography as a hobby then, after completing his military service time he eventually took up photography professionally.  In the 20s, after his service in World War 1 his friendship circle included painters and photographers who were part of the “Neue Sachlichkeit”, which was the “new objectivity movement” where artists began to move away from expressionism to capture things more realistically. He was known for documenting different types of German people by capturing portraits that represented different groups of people rather than representing the individual. One of the most interesting parts of his portraits, is how each photo has interesting context and meaning behind it. When the Nazis came to power in 1933, Sanders work was disapproved. Much of his work including his negatives were ruined either by looters or by air raids. During this time he moved away from portraiture to things less controversial like landscapes.

August Sander mood board

Analysing his images

The context behind this image is what makes it stand out to me. This image was taken in the 1930s, and captures a blind miner and a blind soldier sitting on a bench. The context helps make this image really successful as it shows that Sander captured people in everyday and realistic situations, showing realism. The realism captured, helps attract the audience to the image as they can relate to it more.

The visual elements of the image are also really interesting. in the image we see 2 blind men sitting on a bench, as I mentioned previously but what makes this image visually interesting is the fact that it was not taken in a “perfect” setting, and it could be considered quite “messy”. The audience can clearly see how the wire gate behind the 2 men is quite scruffy, and also uneven, and you can also notice how the floor is also quite unclean. Normally, these qualities would mean that an image would be quite unattractive, but in this case it helps make the image very successful. Because the image doesn’t look perfectly polished and staged, it helps depict a real life situation, This helps make the photo more attractive to an audience because it allows them to see a real story behind an image and not a fake reality, which is something not normally seen in modern portraiture, where a lot of effort usually goes into making everything look picture perfect.

The technical elements, although not incredibly important, also help make this image further interesting. The image appears to be taken in a well lit area, which means that the image is very clear.

The context of this portrait is also very interesting. This is a portrait of a political prisoner that was taken in 1943, which would mean this was captured during World War 2. This portrait is very interesting because without the background information it would just be a regular photo of a man, however knowing information about who is in the image, instantly makes it more interesting. This is because learning about this person, means that we instantly feel more empathy toward the photo and it becomes more meaningful as it reveals a personality.

Visually, The image doesn’t do too much to attract attention as without the background information, it is just a regular photograph of a man. However, the subject is well placed in the frame so no unnecessary background is visible, meaning the audience can focus more on the person.

Conceptually, this picture is also very interesting. This photo shows how someone who looks so ordinary, can actually be very unique and have an interesting backstory. This photo could teach people not to be so judgemental and to not judge someone by how they look.

1st photoshoot intentions

From Sanders’ images it has became clear that he captured people in their everyday environments. My intention for my photoshoot is to also capture someone in their regular environment, but in the modern day. I plan to take photographs of my friend while she is working. As I want the images to look realistic -like Sanders’ photos- I will need to be using a quick shutter speed as I wont be able to stop her to pose. I will also have to capture a large amount of images, as it is likely that not very many of them will be too successful as they will be taken quickly and on the spot. I also plan on not making the images look very polished, and perfect in regards to the background and things in the frame, as I like how Sanders’ images look more realistic when they haven’t been perfectly planned.

Contact sheet

Best outcomes

Overall, I think my photoshoot went well however it could’ve gone better. Next time, I want to focus more on having the subject interact with the camera more as I think this way, I would get more successful images. These were the 2 best outcomes of my photoshoot. I like these images as they depict life, working as a waitress.

Visually I like the first image as you can clearly see that prior to it being taken, the model was busy making coffee, and this makes the image look a lot less planned, therefore making it more realistic.

Technically, however I think that I could’ve changed my camera settings in order to make the image look better. For example, I think the image looks slightly dark. Next time I think it would be a good idea to put the ISO higher in order to make the lighting better. On the other hand, I think that the shutter speed used was successful as it allowed me to capture the image very quickly with minimal distraction to the model

Another reason that I like this image is due to a potential underlying concept. The image was taken very quickly, just as the model looked at me and you can see that there is a lot captured in the frame, like the till and the board that has been written on to her right. All these ‘distractions’ along with the image being taken quickly, and along with the fact the model is multitasking by attempting to make coffee and looking into the camera, it shows how modern working life can be really hectic and busy.

Visually, I think this photo is quite pleasing as it uses the rule of thirds, with the model on the first third of the image. Although the model isn’t directly looking at the camera, you can still see part of her face. It is also clear that she is working, making the photo more realistic and therefore a lot more interesting to look at.

On the technical side of the image, I think it could have been improved. I think that the image turned out too bright. I think it would’ve turned out better if the ISO  was turned down slightly, to darken it a bit more. This photo was taken with a quick shutter speed, meaning that I was able to capture it quite quickly, as the model wasn’t posed like this for long.

mood board of types of portraits

Portraiture can be done in several different ways. Its important to pick the type that’s most appropriate according to what your responding to. Below is a mood board showing different styles of portraiture suitable for different occasions.