Environmental Portraits: A portrait that depicts someone in their usual working environment or environments they’re associated with such as their work or bedroom and portrays their life and surroundings. These portraits can be either posed or taken as the model is moving/doing their job.

For example:

Environmental portraits are often used in order to show how different people’s lives are from one another and how no-one spends their days in the same way whether it be due to a job, a hobby or more. Each portrait explores the nature of the subject and depicts the models day-to-day life, creating a story with by using their natural environment.

A photographer that successfully creates environmental portraits is Mary Ellen Mark who created a project called ‘Ward 81’ where she spent 36 days photographing and interviewing women in a mental intuition who were considered a danger to others and themselves.

Mark made the choice to keep the photos un-posed throughout most of the photoshoot which kept a sense of realism which is also contrasted by the black and white images. The lack of colours takes away some of the models’ humanity which allows the viewer to empathise with the women photographed as they’re treated like wild animals – locked away from society and have no control over what will happen in their lives. Mark’s photos successfully show how these women live and how their surroundings affect them in their everyday life therefore making them admirable environmental portraits.

Plan:

1st Photoshoot [Outside]: I’ll find a jazz band that usually plays in town and photograph them as they play together [if they allow me to]. I’d have a lot of natural lighting which would allow me to use a variety of angles as there would be light around the whole subject. I’d have to check the shutter speed or else I could end up with very blurry photos as I will most likely photograph them as they’re playing and I’d need to be careful about getting close as I don’t want to disrupt their performance.

2nd Photoshoot [Inside]: I’ll ask a friend if I’m able to take photos of them in their room and I’ll mostly use full body shots of them lounging around their room as they would do naturally. I’m mostly going to switch between low and high angles in order to get a more casual look instead of a professional looking portrait as it’ll match the mood of the images, making them look more natural. I’ll potentially get them to do something they enjoy, such as watching a film or playing a video game, in order to get a variety of different shots and use any devices to try get their reflection in the image.

or

I’ll go into a charity shop, and possibly a tattoo parlour, and photograph people working from the waist up, with their consent, and make sure to get their shop/work in the shots. I’ll use a variety of different angles in order to get professional looking images with different parts of their workplace in each shot along with a variety of images that I can look through and edit later on. I think there could be a lot of different objects in the shop that could make an interesting photo.

3rd Photoshoot [2 or more people]: I’ll go to a youth club and set up a day where I’m able to photograph some of the workers as they help out the people there. I’ll need to check who I’m allowed to photograph as some people may not want to be involved in the project and I’ll need to be wary that it may be busy which could make it difficult to take natural looking images. This means I may have to take some posed images – potentially after hours – as there would be less distractions. I’m mostly going to use mid-shots as I think they’ll focus on the people who want to be involved in the project along with a mixture of angles in order to control the exposure as I won’t be able to manipulate the lighting throughout the photoshoot.

Introduction

The term is most frequently used of a genre of photography. 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.

I have created a range of images to show my understanding of what an environmental portrait is, and my favourite ones. Here I selected a range from different professions to demonstrate that anyone can be apart of an environmental portrait and they’re not subject to more interesting jobs such as being a boxer.

Annie Leibovitz

Anna-Lou Leibovitz is an American portrait photographer best known for her engaging portraits, particularly of celebrities, which often feature subjects in intimate settings and poses. Her most famous work is Demi Moore, 1991. When Leibovitz photographed the movie star for the cover of Vanity Fair in August, 1991, editors at the magazine were concerned about how to hide the actress’ seven-month-pregnant figure. Accordingly, they asked that Leibovitz shoot a tightly cropped portrait of Moore’s face.

Leibovitz’s work consists of images such as the one below of Conny Dufgran, being photographed in his natural environment which looks like an office. I like how her work uses some well known people, making her work more well known. In addition, I think that the models have very neutral expressions is a smart idea as the image will age better and people can still focus on the surroundings of the image rather than just the person.

Below I have chosen one of my favourite example of Leibovitz’s work, the neutral expression mixed with the monochromatic edit makes for a classy image that portrays minimum emotions. In addition, we can appreciate how elegant ballerinas are through how simplistic this image is.

Photoshoot Plans

1st photoshoot (outside): I’ll ask my dad if I could take a photograph of him painting the outside of his house, around the time of late afternoon

2nd photoshoot (inside): I will take photographs of a family friend as he works in a bar in town. These images will be taken after school one day

3rd photoshoot (2 or more people): I have asked if I can photograph my aunt and her colleague as she works in an office in town. I hope to take these photos in the early afternoon to get the most use out of the natural lighting coming from the big windows in her office

Task

Below I have showed some of my contact sheets from my three photoshoots, the first outside with my dad, second inside with Noel and third with my aunt in her workplace. These are to demonstrate the variety and volume of photographs I have taken and how they were taken in a variety of lightings.

1st Photoshoot

For my first photoshoot, I have selected to photograph my dad outside his house in St Clement. I decided to photograph him on/ riding his bike, I have chosen to do this as my dad rides his bike to work every morning, as also enjoys taking my brother on longer bike rides around Jersey, especially the countryside, for some exercise and fresh air. Above I have selected some of my best photographs to create a mini gallery to illustrate my work. Furthermore, I photographed him during the mid afternoon to attempt to get the best lighting despite it being a gloomy day. I think the top right and the first 2 photos on the bottom row have the potential to be the best after being edited in Lightroom Classic as i like the angles at which they were taken.

Editing

Above I have illustrated how I edited just one of my final images of my dad on his bike, I have adjusted the contrast and the exposure of the image to make it look like the original images were taken in the middle of the day rather than the afternoon. I like how the clarity of the image is mow higher and how the colour in the surroundings is now more apparent. Furthermore, the composition of the image above is aesthetic as my dad is in the middle of the image making it symmetrical.

Final Images

• 

• 

• 

• 

I have selected these for my final edited images as in my opinion the have the best compositions, as my dad is in the middle of the largest one above. I think that the image I made monochromatic looks more washed out and the image didn’t really turn out aesthetic. My favourite is the largest image above as the editing on this image makes the background colours more saturated, whilst the black tones in the foreground make my dad appear as if he very close to the camera compared to where he was actually positioned when this photograph was taken.

2nd Photoshoot

Artist Reference

Here I have included a comparison of Noel and one of Annie Leibovitz’s work to show how I used her work for inspiration for my photoshoot, I like how her environmental portrait against mine look oddly similar and how the layout looks aesthetically pleasing. I like how the main focus of the images is the main person in the photo, and how the focus is mainly one thing (the person) whilst the background is still prominent and an important aspect of the images.

Images

For my second photoshoot, me and my friend went to take photographs of Noel Flood whilst he was working in the Troubadour, a pub near the Royal Yacht that he owns. I decided to photograph Noel for this environmental portraits homework as i thought a bar would be a good option as it represents an average job on the island, and I could also get some nice backgrounds. Furthermore, I took photos of Noel around later afternoon, but the natural light didn’t really affect my images as the bar was lit with lots of unnatural lighting which turned out good for this photoshoot.

I have firstly edited all of my images that I took of Noel in Lightroom as when I took my images I was unaware that the shutter speed and was far too high and IOS was too low. This is just a starting point so I can easily see my images of Noel before adjusting other settings such as vibrancy and light balance.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Here I chosen the best of my images to edit, as most are too dark I have firstly increased the exposure to now make the images legible. I am going to edit the top and bottom right images as they originally have the most clarity and range of colours. My favourite part of these images are the background, as the ranges of tones and colours in the bottled behind make for aesthetic photographs. In addition, as I adjusted the saturation, the background becomes more vibrant as contrasts against Noel making for interesting final images.

Final Images

I have selected these as my final editing images as the middle of the image is the lightest, where Noel is standing, which gives the photograph a large focus point. Furthermore, Noel is looking straight into the camera and this image is one of my most symmetrical and I like the dim lighting as it’s not harsh and overpowering. the exposure in the third image in the four above is perfect and this is my best portrait photograph. I like how my final images turned out and overall taking photographs for this homework was enjoyable.

3rd Photoshoot

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Here I have created a gallery of images to show how I took photos of my aunt and her co-worker. I like how the photos are all bright even before being edited, and how the red in the furniture matched with the Troys sign in the background and the red road lines on the map of Jersey, unintentionally making the image more cohesive. In addition, they look very happy to be photographed whilst they are looking at construction plans.

Final Images

I have selected these as my final images as I believe the composition, lighting and general effect of these images are the best. As you can see the monochromatic effect doesn’t help the image at all, making it dull and i think this image isn’t aesthetic. In my opinion, the first image of these 4 is the best.

Contact Sheets

Here I have added some contact sheets of the interiors and exteriors of Hamptonne, this is to show that I took a variety of photographs whilst on the Hamptonne visit. I enjoyed walking around and exploring the landscape and layout of the old buildings, especially the apple orchard and cider house. Furthermore, it was a good opportunity for me to develop my camera skills and learn how the adjusting the shutter speed to make images clearer.

Editing and Final Images

Below I have selected and edited some of my favourite images from the interiors of Hamptonne. As you can see the lighting in the barnhouse was already good, the large amount of natural light throughout most of this barnhouse helped create nicely saturated images even without editing. So when i edited the image below i decided to try and attempt to create a washed out image with high clarity. My second final image is one of my favourites from the whole Hamptonne trip as i like the angle of this image and how well it came out considering the lack of lighting in that area of the barn.

Taking images of the room where they take cider was challenging as the lighting was constantly changing and I was just getting used to using the camera. However, my images of these interiors came out well in my opinion as the natural light helped the image become saturated, and the rust and browns on the objects match well with the yellow tones of the images. In my opinion the image below was a bit boring so I decided to edit it to be monochromatic in order to bring out the texture of the brickwork and shadows.

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 in a genre of photography.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

---

Mary Ellen Mark

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Mary Ellen Mark was an American photographer from Pennsylvania that was known for her photojournalism, documentary photography, portraiture, and advertising photography. She photographed people who were “away from mainstream society and toward its more interesting, often troubled fringes”.

One of her pieces of work that attracted me the most was the ‘Ward 81′ project where she went to the Oregon State Hospital (mental institution) in 1975 and took pictures of the patients’ lives. She spent 36 days photographing and interviewing women who were considered a danger to others and themselves.

I think all of the pictures in this project are black and white because Mark wanted to show how depressing and dull the women’s lives actually are. This could show that they have lost hope and that their future is uncertain. Mark kept all of her pictures unposed during the photoshoot to keep it simple and realistic and to show that these women are real people and not just animals being kept away from society. This could make the viewer feel sympathy towards them because you can see the hardships and pain these women go through and how hopeless some are.

Bert Teunissen

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Bert Teunissen is a Dutch photographer who is known for documenting European homes built before World War II and their inhabitants in his book ‘Domestic Landscapes: A Portrait of Europeans at Home’.

In his photographs, he tries to have more than one person and usually makes them sit down and look straight at the camera. I really like this because the background is visible and you can see all the different houses clearly. Teunissen uses natural lighting and has them at eye level in order to make them seem more natural and realistic. These pictures seem welcoming and cosy as there are mainly older people in the frame and usually there’s more of them sitting at a table making it look like a happy family. I quite like these rooms because of their old fashioned and small designs. It feels familiar to me as I am European and used to live in houses similar to these.

---

Photoshoot Plan

First shoot (Outside): I will probably ask a friend if I can take pictures of them using their skateboard or walking to school or through town. I will have plenty of natural lighting which means I won’t have to worry about shadows and be able to use different angles. I’ll try to not make them pose because I want the photographs to turn out natural and not forced.

Second shoot (Inside): For this photoshoot, I will ask a friend if I can take pictures of them in their room or house in order to achieve pictures inspired by Bert Teunissen. I will mostly take full-body pictures and have my model do everyday activities like reading or playing video games to make the photographs seem more casual and natural. I will use natural lighting from the window (if possible) and use high angles to get most of the environment in. This is because I want to be able to show how my model is like a person.

Third shoot (2 or more people): I’ll go to a youth club and try to take pictures of the workers doing their jobs and helping people out. I will have to ask for consent from them and the young people that go there because I don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable. I’ll try to take most of the pictures from the waist up and experiment with different angles in order to focus on the activity they’re doing.

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.

Jimmy Nelson

James “Jimmy” Philip Nelson is an English photographer. He is known for his portraits of tribal and indigenous peoples. He was born in 1967 and is now 54 years old.

Jimmy has wrote multiple books with his most famous being called Homage to Humanity. The book includes interviews with the people portrayed, behind the scenes of photography and stories about his life and his travels.

I like the style of Jimmy’s photos because it presents how life is lived for these tribal people. The background of the portraits have a big effect on the people as it makes them stand out and it shows the environment they live in.

“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” – google

Photoshoot plan – 22/10/2021

photoshoot 1 – outside

My first photoshoot is going to be at my stepdads building site. I am going to photography my stepdad Peter who is a digger driver as he works on the construction of the new Augres house. My model will be in the cab of a digger, he will continue to work while I photography him however he will stop the machine in order for me to take the pictures. This will reduce motion blur in the camera. to eliminate blur completely I will use a tripod which will keep the camera completely still. The light will be natural and I will not be introducing any additional lighting as it will get in the way of my models work process which will ruin the natural pictures. If possible the weather will be overcast in order to provide soft lighting. this is because due to the environment my photoshoot is going to take place I think that hard lighting will reflect off the bright paint on the machine which will draw attention away from my model. I intend to take images of my model inside the cab of his machine as well as other machines on his site, as well as images of him outside of the machines.

Photoshoot 2 – inside

For my indoor photoshoot I am going to photograph my grandfather in his lounge. He spends a lot of time in his lounge watching TV and reading the news paper. I will take photographs of him doing both these thing while sat in his chair. For the TV I will photograph him in different positions and moods depending on what he is watching. This photoshoot would be taken during the day as there will be natural light passing through the window.

Photoshoot 3 – multiple models.

For my multiple model photoshoot I am going to have two or three of my friends on a walk on the beach. I would like the weather to be windy but not raining. My models will be wearing thick coats and general winter gear. The wardrobe alongside the wind will make the images very dramatic.

-3 environmental portrait

-3 people

1. location outside
2. location inside
3. 2 or more people

Mood Board

Plan

shoot 1 Inside – Rubys room

Bedroom, posters, music albums, Messy/Made bed, lighting in bedroom

shoot 2 Outside – Dads Garden

Housing Environment, hobby’s, lighting, Time of day.

Shoot 3 two people – 2 friends

The cyanotype process was introduced by an astronomer John Herschel in 1842 who tried to find a way to copy his notes. Herschel figured out that by coating paper with a UV light sensitive emulsion and placing objects on the paper created a white silhouette on a blue background. A year later (1843) a friend of his, Anna Atkins, used the cyanotype process to publish the first ever photographically illustrated book; “British Algae; Cyanotype impressions”.

What’s the science behind it?

The cyanotype procedure is quite scientific in nature. It requires a UV light sensitive substance which is created by mixing a solution of potassium ferricyanide and a solution of ferric ammonium citrate. This solution is then applied to a surface such as paper by soaking and drying it all in a dark room. An image is produced by placing an object on the paper and exposing it to a source of ultraviolet light.

The UV light and the citrate reduce the Iron(III) to Iron(II) following the reaction of the Iron(II) with ferricyanide this produces ferric ferrocyanide which has a blue pigment. After the paper has been exposed, it gets developed by washing in water so that all the Iron(III) salts get washed away. Next, the paper is dried. The areas where the objects were places are not exposed to the UV light and so remain white whilst the rest turns blue.

Use of cyanotypes in art

Initially, cyanotypes were used for creating blueprints of architectural or scientific diagrams. After Anna Atkins published her book people stared seeing the artistic aesthetic of cyanotypes. Since then they were widely used for creative purposes.

One way of producing cyanotype art is by using negatives. This is done by desaturating and inverting a digital image to create the negative. This image is printed onto acetate then placed on a surface coated with the UV light sensitive substance and exposed to UV light resulting in an alternative image.

Cyanotype art can be combined with traditional media like painting or printmaking to create something unique.

Karen Landey

One of the cyanotype artists that intrigued me is Karen Landey. Landey has been a photographer for over sixty years, she enjoys finding alternative meaning of clichés and presenting them in unique ways. She find particular interest in dreams, their magical, mysterious nature and unlimited possibilities they offers us. She often refers to Photoshop as a tool to explore the world of dreams and transform them into reality. To Landey the ability to create digital negatives of collages and print as cyanotypes is downright magic.

“I am intrigued by the interface between quantum physics and mystical realms.  This radiant edge inspires me to find ways to bring this light through my artwork and into the world.” – Karen Landey

Photography is the art of capturing light with a camera, usually via a digital sensor or film, to create an image. With the right camera equipment, you can even photograph wavelengths of light invisible to the human eye, including UV, infrared, and radio.

The first permanent photograph was captured in 1826 (some sources say 1827) by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in France. It shows the roof of a building lit by the sun.

A Brief History of Photography and the People Who Made It Succeed

Colour photography started to become popular and accessible with the release of Eastman Kodak’s “Kodachrome” film in the 1930s. Before that, almost all photos were monochromatic – although a handful of photographers, toeing the line between chemists and alchemists, had been using specialized techniques to capture colour images for decades before. You’ll find some fascinating galleries  of photos from the 1800s or early 1900s captured in full colour, worth exploring if you have not seen them already.

These scientist-magicians, the first color photographers, are hardly alone in pushing the boundaries of one of the world’s newest art forms. The history of photography has always been a history of people – artists and inventors who steered the field into the modern era.

Landscape Photography

Landscape photography is the art of capturing pictures of nature and the outdoors in a way that brings your viewer into the scene. From grand landscapes to intimate details, the best photos demonstrate the photographer’s own connection to nature and capture the essence of the world around them. Below, you’ll find all the landscape photography articles we have written over the past decade, including our highly approachable tutorials and techniques. If you want to learn everything there is to know about taking beautiful landscape pictures, this is the place to start.

Portrait Photography

Portrait photography is one of the most popular genres of photography, with good reason. Good portrait photographers are able to capture the personality and emotion of people around them, along with earning money via wedding photography, senior portraits, family photography sessions, and so on. Below, you’ll find everything we’ve written about portrait photography, intended for both beginners and professionals. Also, if you want some ideas beyond our basic portrait photography tips, take a look at our more specialized tutorials on weddings and flash photography. Those articles will help you with posing, camera settings, and lighting portraits. It isn’t always easy to take pictures of people, but it’s worth the effort to learn.

abstract art

Abstract art and abstract photography art are relatively new but well-established styles of modern and contemporary art. Abstraction in photography is a stark departure from documentary-style photography or hyper-realism. Read on to learn more about abstract photography, including its inspiration, origins, and purpose.

For my first indoor photoshoot of environmental portraits, I photographed my dad in his garage. He has worked there for around 27 years and the setting was very natural for him. The lighting in the garage is quite low in most areas so this became a problem I had to consider.

For my second photoshoot, I went to a gym/WCB centre in town called ‘The Rock’. Here, I am planning to photograph Tommy, a personal trainer with his boss and owner of the gym. Whilst I was there, Tommy was training with a customer who was happy to let me take photos of them training. The reasoning for this was because I went to the gym myself for a fair few months and knew that Tommy and Craig (the owner) wouldn’t mind if I asked to take photos of them.

For my third and final photoshoot, I photographed Susie, a hairdresser in the ‘Style’ salon, also in town. I had just had my hair cut and asked if she was happy to be photographed for my coursework. She had a customer booked in after myself so I only had 2 minutes to get what I could.