An environmental portrait is a portrait captured in the subjects usual environment, such as in their home or workplace. The setting 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 their physical features. Photographing a person in their natural surroundings will make the subject feel more comfortable so they will express themselves more, as opposed to in a studio, which can be a rather intimidating and an artificial experience. The background is an important aspect in environmental portraiture and is used to show further information about the person being photographed. Small apertures and a large depth of field are mostly used in this type of photography. The symbolism expressed through the various elements in the background are effective when taking an environmental portrait.
Portrait photography is genre of photography that focuses on one person, or a group of people, that captures the personality of the subject using lighting, backdrops, and poses. Throughout this unit of work, I will be focusing on 6 areas of portrait photography: Environmental Portraits(Taking pictures of people in a working environment in which they are aware of the camera and photographer, looking directly into the lens), Street photography(taking pictures of people in public where the subject is not paying attention to the camera or photographer), tableau vivant photography(from the French phrase meaning ‘living picture’ tableau vivant is a scene in which one or more actors/models are carefully posed and positioned with props, and are usually lit in a theatrical fashion), studio photography(using lighting and flash techniques in an artificial environment with different backdrops), Photo-Montage(layering multiple images on top of one another to create meaning or symbolism) as well as Identity and place(taking pictures representing aspects of people’s lives that makes them who they are)
Arnold Newman is widely renowned for pioneering and popularizing the environmental portrait. With his method of portraiture, he placed his sitters in surroundings representative of their professions, aiming to capture the essence of an individual’s life and work. Though this approach is commonplace today, his technique was highly unconventional in the 1930s when began shooting his subjects as such. He is also known for his carefully composed, abstract still lifes.
Born in Manhattan, Newman grew up in Atlantic City, New Jersey and later moved to Miami Beach, Florida. In 1936, he studied painting and drawing at the University of Miami. Unable to afford continuing after two years, he moved to Philadelphia to work for a studio, making 49-cent portraits in 1938.
Newman returned to Florida in 1942 to manage a portrait studio in West Palm Beach. Three years later, he opened his own business in Miami Beach.
In 1946, Newman relocated to New York, opened Arnold Newman Studios and worked as a freelance photographer for Fortune, Life, and Newsweek. Though never a member, Newman frequented the Photo League during the 1940s.
Alfred Kupp, Essen Germany, 1963Leonard Bernstein, Philharmonic Hall New York, 1968
Arnold Newman Igor Stravinsky (composer) 1946
My chosen image:
Alfred Kupp, Essen Germany, 1963
The pictures shows an old man, sitting right at the front of the picture, looking into the camera while resting his chin on his crossed over fingers. Behind him, looks like a train station or factory, with machinery placed everywhere, and lights on the ceiling going back in a straight line. The image itself seems to be rather symmetrical, he’s sat in the middle of the image at the front, behind hims seems to be a window or doorway of some sort which almost resembles a boarder, and the lights and beams on the ceiling go down in straight parallel lines.
The man in this picture is Alfred Krupp, a German industrialist who supported the Nazi party and profited from the use of slave labor during World War ll. Despite being convicted of his crimes and sentenced to 12 years in prison, he was pardoned and only served the minimum of 3 years. In 1963, Newsweek magazine commissioned Arnold Newman to take portrait photographs of Krupp. Originally turning down the offer, he came to accept after being reassured by the editor, but promised to make Krupp look like the Devil. After travelling to Frankfurt, associates of Krupp decided to cancel the photo shoot, due to Newman looking a ‘bit Jewish’. In order to save the shoot, he demanded that his portfolio be shown to their boss, and it worked. The photo shoot took place in Kruppworks factory, and Newman used lighting and the scenery to portray Krupp as an evil man, with ghastly shadows and a green colour cast. Thankfully, the time it took to get the photos developed gave him time to fool Krupp and his associates, as they would have been furious with the outcome.
Lately people have been labeling my Krupp picture as the greatest photographic “knife job” ever done on anybody. But I’m not so sure. I am convinced that any photographic attempt to show the complete man is nonsense. We can only show, as best we can, what the outer man reveals. The inner man is seldom revealed to anyone, sometimes not even the man himself.
Krupp was a very evil man. You can read all about him in several books, especially the Arms of Krupp by Manchester. Krupp claimed during the Nuremberg Trials that he never knew Hitler and that he was a child at the time. This was bullshit! He grew up supporting Hitler. He married one of the Krupp women and Hitler allowed him to adopt the Krupp name.
He ran the Kruppworks using slave labor. He fed them half the calories Hitler allowed for no reason other than there was so much slave labor available. So what? If they got too weak to work he just simply slipped them off to Auschwitz and the gas chambers. Krupp still had slave labor living in his castle at the time I photographed him!
Later on in the War he built factories right next to the concentration camps where all he had to do when they got too weak to work was walk them into the gas chambers. It was that simple. This “slave labor” were people like you and I. ~ 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.
The Golden Ratio
While the rule of thirds is the most widely known composition rule, there’s another principal that plays a big role in composing images with that wow factor; the golden ratio. Google “golden ratio” and you’ll immediately be assaulted by mathematical principles and numbers. While its basis does lie in math and numbers, the golden ratio is really about what the human eye sees, and composing an image that immediately demands attention. You don’t have to be a math whiz to understand the golden ratio. The golden ratio is actually a number. It’s found by taking a line (or sometimes another shape) and dividing it into two parts. When a line or shape is divided into two parts based on the golden ratio, it will be divided in such a way that, if you divided the length of the longest section by the length of the smallest section, it would be equal to the original length of the shape divided by the longest section. The golden ratio is perfectly balanced, and that balance makes it pleasing to the human eye. Because of this, the golden ratio crosses from math over into art. The Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, for example, are both paintings that use this golden ratio. In photography, the golden ratio can be used to identify the main subject while still leading the viewer’s eye through the entire image.
An environmental portrait is a portrait taken of a person or people in a situation that they live in and a place that says something about who they are. It is often a place of work, rest or play. Images which are quite natural, yet a little staged by the subject making eye contact with the camera. They are making a connection with the camera.
Mood Board:
This mood board displays the general sense of what environmental portraiture is. They all follow a general theme by being staged and the subject making eye contact with the camera. There is a sense of place with the people being in their work, there is a sense of connection by the photographer letting us into the life of the person.
Fibonacci Spiral:
While the rule of thirds is the most widely known composition rule, there’s another principal that plays a big role in composing images with that wow factor; the golden ratio. While its basis does lie in math and numbers, the golden ratio is really about what the human eye sees, and composing an image that immediately demands attention. This photo also follows the Fibonacci spiral, it follows the composition which makes this a very effective and balanced image.
The golden ratio is actually a number. It’s found by taking a line (or sometimes another shape) and dividing it into two parts. When a line or shape is divided into two parts based on the golden ratio, it will be divided in such a way that, if you divided the length of the longest section by the length of the smallest section, it would be equal to the original length of the shape divided by the longest section.
I personally find that the image is over saturated in certain areas, while this adds a sense of drama to the image, i personally find that it leaves the image looking rather tacky. While I dislike the amount of saturation in the photo due to the result looking rather messy, i like the sense of seriousness/drama that it creates. I like the background elements of the photo more than the foreground. While it is more cluttered than the foreground, it has a lot of negative white space which i find balances out the background of he image as a whole. i believe it also addresses the issue of over saturation and i believe that if there was more negative white space in the foreground it would result in an overall more balanced image.
Technical:
It looks as though the image was taken using a small aperture since a lot of the image is in focus. It looks as though a rather long shutter speed was used due to the color depth as well as the fact that it looks as though the photo is taken using a small aperture and so a long shutter speed would be required in order for the photo to be properly exposed. The photo overall looks to be rather warm in color temperature.
Visual:
The photo features some strong colors, particularly some strong oranges as well as accentuating the olive tones in his skin helping to add to the dramatic, evil look of the ex Nazi war criminal.
The first initial response that comes to mind when looking at this image is the serious expression on the face of the man. he is making clear eye contact with the camera which makes a direct connection with the viewer. He is in as sense staring into your soul. The addition of the shadows and darkness even further add to the dramatic theme of the photo. The facial expression on the mans face gives him a very intimidating look. It also makes the viewer feel very uneasy and question the image. What is the man thinking and feeling? Why is he in this environment? The overall dark and saturated tones of the image further allude to this and create a very strong emotional response in the viewer. It is also a very industrial environment where the image is staged in therefore it further makes the image feel cold and unwelcoming. The man is also wearing a suit which gives him a position of authority and power.
Visual:
Pictured in the image is an elderly Caucasian man, roughly the age of 70, with his two hands intertwined with each other. He is wearing a formal uniform, possibly a suit. He is sitting inside a train facing the camera. Behind him is a window, through which we can see the inside of a train assembly factory.There is a wide field of view in this image with elderly man being in the foreground, the window being in the mid ground and the train assembly line being in the background. The lines on the ceiling guide your eye into the center of the image where the head of the man is, making it the focal point of the image. Focal length is also used in this image with the face of the man being most in focus and the background being a lot more blurry. It is a very busy photo with many geometric elements filling the space. The editing of this photo means that it is slightly over saturated with the mans skins glowing an unnatural green. The lights on the top of the ceiling also create a sense of pattern and repetition. The man is sitting in the center of the image meaning that this is what you’re drawn to most making him the first thing that your eyes are drawn to. The most prominent color in this image is the black which gives an overall dark and deep aura to the image. This image is well exposed, with the dark and light being balanced out, yet it is clear that two light sources have been used. Behind the window inside the factory, natural light is coming in through the windows which illuminates the space, yet in front of the window where the man is sitting, an artificial light source has been used so that the mans face can be seen.
Technical:
The exposure in this image is very balanced, with the highlights not being overly prominent or the shadows being too dark. The light coming in from the background is also not overpowering the foreground. The image does not have any motion blur meaning that it is very likely that the camera was propped up on something or a tripod was used. It is also clear that this was used as it is a fairly dark environment, meaning that if there was any movement, it would be very blurred. Behind the tripod was likely an artificial light source which illuminates the face of the man. The facial expression and pose of the man is very clearly unnatural, therefore this image was staged in order to make it as dramatic as possible.
Conceptual:
Krupp, long-faced and bushy-browed, is made to look like Mephistopheles incarnate: smirking, his fingers clasped as he confronts the viewer against the background of a assembly line in the Ruhr. In the color version his face has a greenish cast.
The impression it leaves was no accident: Mr. Newman knew that Krupp had used slave labor in his factories during the Nazi reign and that he had been imprisoned after World War II for his central role in Hitler’s war machine.
Contextual:
Mr. Newman was credited with popularizing a style of photography that became known as environmental portraiture. Working primarily on assignment for magazines, he carried his camera and lighting equipment to his subjects, capturing them in their surroundings and finding in those settings visual elements to evoke their professions and personalities.
The “environmental” approach was what largely distinguished Mr. Newman’s portraits from those of his contemporaries. Richard Avedon and Irving Penn, for example, preferred to work within the bald white arena of their studios.
Rule of thirds:
Arnold Newman has used the rule of thirds in order to create this very successful image. The body of the man is withing the center column of the image therefore this is the first thing the view is drawn to, also due to the fact that he is in the foreground. More importantly his face is located in the very middle of the image, meaning it becomes even more intimidating as he is the focal point.
Emotional response: My response to first seeing the photo was that the man in the foreground is quite intimidating and mysterious. There are big differences between light levels, saturation, and contrast within the photo. The man is wearing a suit which shows that he is quite an important person as suits were more expensive than today.
Visual: The man in the middle looks around 75-80 years old, he is lent forward with his hands together (with his fingers intertwined) and is resting his chin on them. The man is less lit than the background which gives a sense of cruelty and mystery about him. He is also in the stereotypical villain pose which makes him more easily associated with being a bad person.
The background also has a lot of contrast, this helps distinguish the trains from the production lines and makes the whole photo more attractive to the eye as it is more colourful.
Technical: The windows at the top let in more light into the photo as well as giving it more structure as they consist of strong lines. As they windows get further away they appear smaller which draws the eye into the centre of the photo.
The photo is symetrical through the middle, This balance makes it more attractive as people instinctively prefer symetrical objects/things.
The photo was taken with a shorter exposure. This was probably done to avoid overexposing the background; which is more lit than the foreground. This results in the foreground being darker, which works for this photo as it makes the man look more sinister (which was the intent).
Conceptual: The subject of the photo was Alfred Krupp. He was made to look as sinister as possible in this photo because the photographer (Arnold Newman) was Jewish and Alfred Krupp was a nazi, so this photo was Arnold’s ‘bit of revenge’.
This portrait provides me with a sense of intimidation and lack of authority. Yet I do think it is a very impressive photo with a message behind it. I like the contrast between the dark area at the front and the light area at the back, which adds great amount of depth. although the photo is busy, I can’t get away from the fact that the man (Krupp) is the focal point, his stern looking face is hard to move away from.
Visual
There is a clear foreground and background which are emphasized by the change in light. In the foreground there is a Caucasian man aged around 65, wearing a suit, with his hands joint together and his chins resting on top, he has little to no emotion on his face, the dark areas around his eyes create a demonic silhouette. In the background it’s light which is flooding in via the windows on the ceiling, below there are trains of different colours and sizes. The warehouse behind him seems eerily quiet and dingy, there doesn’t seem to be an areas of interested in terms of beauty.
Technical
Their is a clear leading eye in this photo, from the man your eye is lead by the symmetry of the windows, this also represents pattern and order within the photo, this creates a large depth of field. The exposure is very well down and is correctly balanced between the dark and light areas. In the background Newman has used natural lighting, whereas to highlight Krupp’s face it appears he has used natural lighting this is indicated by the shadowing on some parts and glowing light on other parts of him, his light may have occurred via an office lamp. Krupp’s direct eye contact with the camera has a big impact making it much more personal and its as if hes staring you down creating more and more intimidation.
Conceptual
The photo was taken by Arnold Newman, a Jewish photographer in 1963. Alfred Krupp was hesitant at first to have his photo taken by Newman but he eventually came round to the idea and thus this photo was taken. Krupp in World War II held much power as he took over his fathers company which he then used as a place to assign Jewish prisoners at the time to work there under slave labour to create Nazi weapons. Krupp’s background story is clearly represented in the photo by Newman and the fact that he was Jewish emphasizes his intentions even further. He made Krupp to look like a demonic figure with the lighting, expression and body language to expose the injustice of the Jews and how much evil people in the time of the war exploited them and such horrific factories. As well as that the rule of thirds also create a sense of structure, which symbolises the the strict regime of the Nazi’s and how they locked up Jews in tight uniform concentration camps similar to how Krupp forced them to work in rows in his factories for hours on end.
The image below was taken by Arnold Newman in 1963 and is a very well known image because of the message the image conveys.
Context
The image was taken in 1963 due to industrialist Alfred Krupp contacted Newman for a portrait image on him. Newman planned to take the images of Krupp and while doing so discovered that Krupp transported materials to assist the Nazi’s during the second world war, and after finding out Newman was Jewish, Krupp refused to see Newman again. However, Krupp was persuaded through Newman’s very impressive portfolio to allow Newman to take the images. Because of the situation where Krupp didn’t want to see Newman anymore because of his religion, Newman used this to his advantage and made Krupp look sinister in the most weird way as revenge for Krupp’s influence in the prosecution of Jews.
Emotional response
When first looking at this image i quickly saw the ‘ old white man’ placed in the center of the photograph which drew me in due to the shadowing on the mans face due to the light above him. I feel as if the eye contact he gives the camera shows a dark personality and add a sinister feel to the image. I also noticed the lack of bright lights in the image which helped to contrast with the little colour in the image adding a cold and again sinister feel to the time.
I also found that the way the man presented himself with his hands together and sat in a suit suggests that he is a business man and he is of high class.
Visual
The image is very interesting to the eye due to the very busy background of the image in contrast to the dark lighting and the subject of the image which is the man. At first i though that the background of the image was just a random set scene. However, after researching about the image and finding out that Krupp helped transport materials for the Nazi’s in WW2 i realized the the place he is in is his underground transportation station. This instantly made me feel unconformable as i questioned why he would want to be photographed in this place and why he was proud of it. This again dded to the sinister feel of the image.
Technical
The first technical aspect of this image i noticed was the use of the texture shown through different objects found within the location of the train station. The texture is shown due to the rust on the objects which also signal that the objects are old and have been used for a long time. The background is also very busy which and there is a lot of movement shown which shows that it is a fully operating station. The depth of field of the image is large and the man being close to the camera instead of within the scenery adds a long depth of field due to us being able to see the whole background. The man also being in sharp focus suggests that he is the subject of the image.
Conceptual Response
The facial expressions that the man is making suggests that he is up to not good and has something evil planned, the location he is in also suggests that the image is very old however him being in a suit suggests he could be an owner of the location. This image is very up to debate..
