An environmental portrait is a photo of one or more people in their usual environment for example their home or workplace. A good environmental portrait is one which is able to tell you a story or information about the subject of the photo.
For example this photo suggests that the subject is a boxer. This is due to the boxing glove as well as the boxing ring. The use of objects in environmental portraits is extremely useful as it helps people to understand the photo and gives information about the subject.
Why are environmental portraits so important?
Environmental portraits are important as they give us information about a person such as their career or hobbies. We also use environmental portraits to send messages for example during the war photos would be taken to show the conditions of which the soldiers were in. However they aren’t able to reveal everything as that is only a small sector of an entire scene.
This is a good example of how environmental portraits are able to provide information about a situation however it is unable to show the whole scene.
Walker Evans was an American photographer and photojournalist best known for his work for the Farm Security Administration documenting the effects of the Great Depression. Much of Evans’ work from the FSA period uses the large format, 8×10-inch view camera. Born in St. Louis, United stated on the 3rd of November 1903 and died April 10th 1975 in Yale New Haven hospital, United states. Evans studied at Williams College and the Sorbonne in Paris. In 1955, Walker Evans created his first portfolio, Beauties of the Common Tool, which included commonplace items. These are the photos he would take of tools:
DARREN HARVEY-REGAN
Darren Harvey-Regan is a graduate of the Royal College of Art. His work has appeared in exhibitions and publications internationally and is part of the permanent photography collection at the V & A Museum, London. In 1955, Fortune magazine published, ‘Beauties of the Common Tool’, a portfolio by Walker Evans featuring pictures of ordinary hand-made tools, such as a ratchet wrench and a pair of scissors.
Harvey-Regan first constructed a montage of Evans’s images to make new forms. He then sourced matching tools, cut them in half and re-joined various halves together, with the resulting physical objects being photographed to create his final work. The montaged tools become both beautiful and bizarre objects, in which a ratchet wrench is combined with a pair of pliers and a Mason’s trowel joined with a pair of scissors. These are two of his photo art:
Regarding the selection of objects, composition, lighting, and exposure levels, both artists Darren Harvey-Regan and Wlker evans paid close attention to detail. There are certain distinctions between these two painters in addition to their obvious similarities. For instance, Darren Harvey-Regan takes photos of everyday objects while Walker Evans does not change their appearance.
I found a backdrop on google first and pasted that into photoshop.
I picked my three favourite photos I’ve taken over the start of the year and pasted them into the backdrop. I changed the perspective and the size of each photo to fit the wall I wanted to put them on.
Then I decided to give each photo a small border just to give a bit of depth to each photo. Then finally, I added a small shadow to give the thought of realism to the photo as if it was really on the wall of a gallery.
August Sander (1876-1964) was a German photographer known for his extensive and influential body of work, particularly his monumental project “People of the 20th Century.” Born on November 17, 1876, in Herdorf, Germany, Sander initially trained as a miner, but his passion for photography led him to pursue a career.
Sander is best known for his portraits, which aim to document and categorize people from different walks of life, reflecting the social and cultural changes in Germany during the early 20th century. His ambitious project, “People of the 20th Century,” commenced in the 1910s and continued for several decades, capturing over six hundred portraits categorized into various social groups, including farmers, tradesmen, artists, office workers, and politicians. Sander’s approach to photography was deeply rooted in the principles of the New Objectivity movement, which sought to depict the reality of society and reject subjective interpretations.
His portraits were characterized by their straightforward and honest representation, often capturing the subjects in their natural environments or workplaces. Unfortunately, Sander’s life and work were disrupted by political circumstances. During the rise of the Nazi regime in Germany, his photographs were deemed “degenerate art,” and he was labeled a “cultural Bolshevik.” His studio and negatives were confiscated, and his work was largely suppressed.
After World War II, Sander relocated to Cologne and, despite his advanced age, managed to rebuild his archives. His work gained renewed attention in the 1960s and received significant recognition in the photography community. He passed away on April 20, 1964.
August Sander’s portraits are celebrated for their meticulous attention to detail, objective observation, and their ability to capture the essence of their subjects within the broader context of German society during his time. His work continues to influence and inspire photographers and historians, offering valuable insights into the human condition and social dynamics of the 20th century.
August Sander- Handlanger
August Sanders- Young Farmers
This particular photo exemplifies Sander’s interest in capturing individuals from different social groups and professions, aiming to create an anthropological study of German society during the early 20th century. The photograph of young farmers showcases a group of individuals who are likely involved in agricultural work. Sander’s approach to portraiture is characterized by its straightforwardness and objectivity, aiming to capture the subjects in their natural environments or workplaces. In this image, the young farmers are depicted in a way that reflects their profession and lifestyle, offering a glimpse into the rural life of the time.
August Sander- Pastry chef
Sander’s attention to detail and composition ensure that his subjects are portrayed with integrity and dignity, while also capturing the essence of their work and its significance within the broader social fabric. Whether through facial expressions, hand movements, or the inclusion of culinary elements, such as pastries or cooking utensils, Sander’s photographs would offer viewers a glimpse into the life and profession of a pastry chef during the era he documented.
in this image it very clearly shows his profession due to the environment outfit and his hand movement and objects in his hand.
More of August Sander most famous Images:
“I hate nothing more than sugary photographs with tricks, poses and effects. So allow me to be honest and tell the truth about our age and its people”- August Sander
Inspiration and similarities with other Photographers –
August Sander’s work has received numerous awards and recognition at exhibitions, establishing him as a highly influential figure among other photographers. His significant impact can be attributed to his distinctive style of capturing black and white photographs within a fixed genre. Many photographers who engage in similar practices are often seen replicating Sander’s approach to photography.
Contact sheet for my photoshoot inspired by Walker Evans, I have highlighted my favourite photos in green.
For this photoshoot, I experimented using more than one of the same objects. Overall, I thought this created an interesting photograph when captured at different angles because it gives a 3 dimensional view, rather than photographing from a birds eye view which gives a 2 dimensional effect – this was what William Eggleston did. He captured his photographs from one angle as this was done to get your direct focus solely on the object, however I wanted to achieve this from different angles and with a few objects. This overall effect created a really interesting photo to look at, as it created a unique look. For each photo below, the first ones I haven’t edited whereas the second ones I have. I thought they didn’t need much editing as I had experimented using different light, which gave the right warmth and contrast of tones that I wanted. However, I still edited most as I wanted to make them more clearer and highlight each individual object making them bolder. This also enhanced the detail on the brushes making a bolder look.
I edited the photo on light-room, as you can see I sightly edited the tone and presence which enhances the tones and colour of the photo, overall achieving a really bold and unique look. I also like how the shadows are captured on the side which really enhance the objects.
Here I edited this photo to give a cooler and more modern look, instead of a warmer tone. I think this made the photograph look more bolder as it is bright and gets your focus easier.
I didn’t edit this photo as I already preferred the look it gave. I thought the way I positioned the objects made it a really effective photo as creates an interesting look leading your eye into different parts of the photo, as it draws you in, in from many angles.
For this photo, I edited it to really emphasise the details and colours on the brush while also capturing from a straight on birds eye view inspired by William Eggleston. I left the negative space around the objects because I wanted to create depth and a fixed focus on them.
Here I have highlighted my favourite and best photos in green as I thought these images showed a clear photograph of the object. Inspired by Walker Evans, I turned each of the photos in black and white which are shown on the left I showed the before and after photos so you could see the different effects.
Overall, I thought these photographs were really effective, as I thought having only one object really made you focus on the photo. Some of the photographs where I left in colour showed more shadows which showed more of a contrast, so using light-room I lightened them up to create more brighter images. Like Walker Evans, I kept some negative space around my object, but I also wanted the closer look of the object so you would have a clearer view of the object.
Firstly, I used this photograph in the genre (still life) so I included all genres we have covered so far. I used this image as it has a warm tone, landscape and therefore differs from the other images I used. It also has outstanding and unique objects in a special arrangement so in my opinion, without this image the gallery may look dull and boring to look at. However, in order for not all the attention and eye catching features to draw the eye to the one image I attempted to balance it out by using another still life photograph shown below.
Although this photograph has a dull tone, it is still eye catching by the correct amount with the amount of depth to the shadow, increased highlights and exposure. It also has unique qualities from the objects and the arrangement. Since I have used 2 landscape still life photos. I then added 3 portrait formalism images to break up the pattern of still life and landscape.
Formalism images I used:
I have chosen these images as they are a wide variation of formalism. The first photo includes a daily and useful object which relates to Evan’s work since his purpose is to value and celebrate the man-made objects. The singular object symbolizes the importance of the image and eye catching with a plain background. I then used a paintbrush behind a plain white background which is similar to the first. To create a variation I added an image with 4 other objects to make it differ. Another quality that contrasts with the other images is that I included a knife in the image. This could possibly signify that although we do not think about it. Cutlery is a daily and necessary object in our lives. This relates to Evans work just simply in more of a hidden way.
I could improve my gallery by making my formalism photographs black and white so it relates to Evan’s and Regan’s work and also differs from my still life photographs on the side to create a variation and contrast in my gallery.
In these photos, I increased the exposure to make it more clear meanwhile decreasing the contrast to create more vivid detail. Lastly, I decreased the shadows to create more interesting features to make the objects look as if they are levitating so they are similar to Evan and Regan’s work and increased the highlights.
