Environmental photography is a mixture of lifestyle photography and traditional photography. With this type of portraiture the environment surrounding the person plays a key role in the photo. The environment in the photo is meant to tell you a lot about the person and what they’re like or what they enjoy. Unlike lifestyle portraits where the location isn’t important, this type of portraiture’s environment is just as important as the person in the image and the person can pose in the photo.
Here are some famous photographers that demonstrate environmental portraiture. These photographers have inspired me with my own photography. Each photo has a story behind it as each background behind the person or objects surrounding the person says something about them. Each of these photographers are inspiring and i will use some of their techniques (such as their use of lighting and positioning of the model) when I am taking my own photographs to do with environmental portraiture.
IN MY POST I WILL COVER HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON AND HIS INVOLVEMENT WITH PORTRAIT
Henri Cartier bresson
he was born in france on the 22nd august 1908 and died august 3 2004
Henri Cartier-Bresson was a French humanist photographer considered a master of candid photography, and an early user of 35 mm film. He pioneered the genre of street photography, and viewed photography as capturing a decisive moment. Cartier-Bresson was one of the founding members of Magnum Photos in 1947.
Portrait photography is a picture of a single person or group of people. The photo often aims to demonstrate the personality of the subject(s) with effective techniques such as lighting, background and poses. A portrait does not have to just be a photo of someone or some people from the shoulders up. Portraits can be full body as they are trying to say something about the subject which may not be specific to their face.
Some examples of professional portrait work from Arnold Newman
My examples of Candid and Environmental portrait work:
Street photography, also sometimes called candid photography, is photography conducted for art or enquiry that features unmediated chance encounters and random incidents within public places. … Street photography does not necessitate the presence of a street or even the urban environment.
What is the purpose of street photography?
The purpose of street photography is not to record or show what a person is doing but to capture the mood and showing their personal vision of the world.
MARTIN PARR
Martin Parr is a British documentary and street photographer who is often described as the most explosive surprise to ever suddenly emerge onto the subgenre’s scene. Known around the world for his intimate and satirical photographs which focus on different aspects of modern life, Parr usually explores various topics concerning social classes of England and the hypocrisy of the West in general. He concentrates on photographing the mundane, everyday life of people that live just around the corner, enhancing the images with vivid colors by using specific flash techniques. Many have even went as far as describing his work as actual kitch. With almost forty books published and over eighty exhibitions held worldwide, Martin has established himself as one of the most prolific British street photographers. It should be noted that Martin Parr is as well a valuable member of the Magnum Photos organization.
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 term is most frequently used of a genre of photography. Environmental photography is a mixture of lifestyle photography and traditional photography. With this type of portraiture the environment surrounding the person plays a key role in the photo. The environment in the photo is meant to tell you about the person and what they’re like or what they enjoy. Unlike lifestyle portraits where the location isn’t important, this type of portraiture’s environment is just as important as the person in the image and the person can pose in the photo.
Environmental photography can also be seen as a type of “formal” portrait photography where there is a posed picture of a person or a group of people. It focuses on clearly showing facial features and may be designed to highlight a certain characteristic of the subject, such as occupation or personality and is a long-standing method to capture professional-looking images. It is not however a snapshot, but a carefully arranged pose under effective lighting conditions. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean the subject must appear stiff and lifeless.
Formal/Posed – a planned and posed image of a person of group of people such as a wedding photograph or photos of people for business purposes.
As we know, a portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. With environmental portraiture, the background often adds to this, often telling a story by providing the viewer with some context of the subjects surroundings. Additionally, 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 an artificial experience.
A great example of environmental portraiture is that of Arnold Newman’s photo of Alfried Krupp which I wrote an analysis on here.
There are many photographic techniques that can be applied to portrait photography, all of which give a create a different meaning, and overall mood of the image. Certain techniques are only used in certain environments, like a professional setting, whereas some more general techniques, like the use of colour, can be applied anywhere.
Informal/Candid– a photograph captured naturally, without creating a posed appearance. often the subject is unaware that the photograph has been taken.
candid portrait
Formal/Posed- a planned and posed image of a person of group of people such as a wedding photograph or photos of people for business purposes.
formal portrait
Head shot / Half body / Three quarter length / Full body-this relates to how much of the subject’s body is visible. A head shot is often used by people working in the entertainment industry like actors, whereas a three-quarter length shot is often more casual.
head shot portrait
three quarter length portrait
High angle / Low angle / Canted (or Dutch) angle-this is referring to the positioning of the camera when the photo is taken. A canted angle image is one where the horizon and any straight lines is at an angle to the bottom of the image, which adds drama and a possible sense of tension or psychological unease.
high angle portrait
low angle portrait
Dutch angle portrait
Archival / Historic- images of a famous historical or political figure, perhaps during a defining moment in time or else as a posed, formal image
archival/historical portrait
High key / Low key- high key images are bright, light, and airy and contain little to no shadow. Low key images are mainly blackness or shadows and have an emphasis of natural or artificial light only in certain parts of the frame.
Street photography is photography conducted for art or enquiry that features unmediated chance encounters and random incidents within public places.
Street Photography is a sub-genre of photojournalism…
Street photography does not necessitate the presence of a street or even the urban environment. The concept of the “flaneur” or people watcher is often referred to street photographers
This image below was taken in Seville at the beginning of Henri Cartier-Bresson’s career as a photographer. It has a strong geometric form. The viewer sees the gang of boys through a large hole in a wall which frames the scene. Without knowing the date of the image one might guess that it was taken during the Spanish Civil War (1936–9) or afterwards. The fact that it was taken in 1933 gives it a strange sense of premonition; the boys are playing at war in the ruins of a war that has not yet happened.
Henri Cartier-Bresson : Children in Seville, Spain, 1933.
Blog Post 1 : Define, describe and explain street photography.
Include images, moodboards, hyperlinks to relevant articles and URLs and add a video or two on street photography if you can
Take care in your choice of images…browse the list of street photographers below and choose from the work to “speaks” to you…
Aim to show knowledge and understanding of how street photography can reflect the life / lifestyle / politics / history / social class of an area or group of people…
Do the images make a statement…or ask a question?
Alex Webb
Blog Post 2 :
Henri Cartier – Bresson and
“The Decisive Moment”
Create a blog post / case study about Henri Cartier-Bresson that includes…
Brief biography
Mood-board of key images
Select one image and apply Technical | Visual | Contextual | Conceptual analysis (image analysis)
