Contact Sheet:

For this photoshoot, I took pictures of various people in places I either associate them in or their place of work. I did a total of 3 different photoshoots: family/friends, school teachers and finally people who worked at the market in town.

For this first photoshoot, I took pictures of my friends in a variety of different places that I associate them with or of them doing something they love. I used natural lighting in the majority of my pictures as they were mainly taken outside. I like these images as they give off a positive vibe due to the smiles and bright colours seen in the photographs. As the people I photographed were in places they liked/ were familiar with I think it helped them to be more comfortable and willing to pose. However, I wanted to photograph people in their work environment too as seen in Arnold Newman’s work, and so I did another photoshoot.

For this photoshoot, I went around school with a DSLR camera and took pictures of various teachers who were willing to be photographed. I tried to take my photos in both portrait and landscape in order to get more variety in my images. One problem that I encountered whilst taking my photographs was that most teachers were busy or didn’t want to be photographed, limiting the amount of photos I got. Additionally, a lot of my photographs came out blurry but I managed to fix the majority of them by using Lightroom and changing the clarity and texture of them.

For my last environmental photoshoot, I took pictures of various people who worked at the market in town. The lighting in the market was a bit dark in some places causing some of my images to turn out not as well as I expected as a shadow would be cast over my subject. However, I feel this photoshoot gave me a good insight into what environmental portrait photography is really like. Another positive aspect of this photoshoot is I felt it helped build my confidence as I had to ask a variety of strangers if I could take photos of them, which was out of my comfort zone.

Final Images:

I chose these images as my final outcomes for my photoshoot on environmental portraits. I like the bright colours seen in the images as they help to create a positive tone in the photographs. Additionally, I like the clarity and quality of my images. I think I managed to successfully portray the theme of environmental portraits in my work as I got various images of either my friends in an environment in which I associate them with, strangers doing their job in the market and teachers at work (which is what environmental portraits is all about).

One thing I would like to also experiment with when taking environmental portraits is creating more melancholy images which could arouse an emotional response in my audience. This is because in many of the environmental portraits I looked at when researching about it had more of a sadder tone to it due to the black and white colours and sad expressions seen on the people’s faces. I think its important that I photograph both the positive aspects of life but also the negative.

• who you are photographing: For my environmental portraits photoshoot, I decided to photograph a variety of different people. Whether that be my friends or random strangers in their work environment. For example, I got a few different people from the market at town and I also took pictures of my friends in an environment I associate them with.
• what you are photographing: I decided to photograph people with an environment which either gives an insight into that person’s hobbies, their work or their life in general.
• when you are conducting the shoot: I conducted my shoot mainly on the weekend (the 11th and 12th of November) and additionally on days when I would see my friends.
• where you are working/ location: I took my photographs in the market in town and went to a variety of different stalls inside eg the bakery, a French shop and a flower shop. I also took some photos around different places in Jersey eg the mini golf course and on the beach.
• why you are designing the shoot in this way: I designed my photoshoot this way as I felt the market would be a good place to find a variety of different people with different jobs and backgrounds in such a close vicinity.
• how you are going to produce the images (lighting / equipment etc): To take my images, I used my phone and the lighting that was available in the market, or if my images were taken outside, I would make most of the natural lighting.
• Problems that occurred: One problem that I encounter whilst taking pictures in the market is that some of my photographs are quite dark due to the bad lighting and overshadows the person in the image, making me unable to use them for my final images. Another problem I faced was that some of the people I wanted to photoshoot were busy doing their job so they couldn’t stand staring at the camera.
• Benefits of this photoshoot: I think this photoshoot helped me to build my confidence as I had to ask a variety of strangers if I could take pictures of them. It became easier to ask each time.

Photoshoot 1

For this photoshoot I set up my father in his work vest and hat to portray his job in the building department. He ensures that safety is met on the site and keeps everyone involved safe. To match this job we found a messy building site which he would need to check.

This site was on a hill which in some photographs makes the fence look tilted which I didnt realised when taking the images. I stood a few meters back for these so that they would be full body portraits like most environmental portraits and for lighting, we waited until the sun was out so that it would be well lit.

I filtered out blurry and samey images until I settled on a few traditional portraits and a few where he was looking into the site like he would do on his job. I then adjusted the exposure to brighten the vest and cropped down these images to better frame the images.

First Cut

I chose these two photographs because one was had my father engaging with the camera like an environmental portrait and one where were following my dad through his job which actively utilises the background. Although I liked these two final images I wanted to experiment with how I would present them so I decided to change them into black and white.

Photoshoot 2

I didnt like these photographs as much as the first photoshoot mainly because the lighting was an overhead artificial light. I wanted her to be working on some cookies because those are her favourite things to bake. I wanted some photographs indoors and with foreground so I figured this would be best photoshoot to try these out.

Second Cut

Introduction to A-level Photography Quiz

Q1: What is the etymology (origin & history) of the word photography?

20sec

Writing with light.

Capturing light.

Painting with light.

Filming light.

Q2: What year was the first photograph made in camera?

20sec

1739 (Joseph Wright)

1839 (Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre)

1826 (Joseph Nicéphore Niépce)

1904 (Salvadore Dali)

Q3: When did the first photograph of a human appear?

20sec

1874 (Julia Margeret Cameron)

1838 (Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre)

1856 (Henry Mullins)

1939 (Ropert Capa)

Q4: Who made the first ‘selfie’

20sec

Kim Kardashian (2015)

Robert Cornelius (1839)

Cindy Sherman (1980)

Claude Cahun (1927)

Q5: When did the first colour photograph appear?

20sec

20sec

1907 (Lumière brothers)

1961 (Andy Warhol)

1935 (Kodachrome)

1861 (James Clerk Maxwell)

Q6: What do we mean by the word genre?

20sec

A study of an artwork

A depiction in art

A style or category of art

A creative process in art

Q7: What do we mean by the genre of still-life?

20sec

In image where a person is sitting still and not moving.

An arrangement of flowers.

A picture of food.

An image that shows inanimate objects from the natural or man-made world.

Q8: What was the main purpose of the Pictorialist movement?

20sec

To capture moving objects

To record reality

To affirm photography as an art form

To be scientific

Q9: How do we describe the term documentary photography?

30sec

Capture images that truthfully portray people, places and events.

Staging images for maximum effect.

Provide in-depth information about a subject over a long period time.

An interpretation of reality as witnessed by the photographer.

Q10: What is exposure in photography?

20sec

To expose hidden elements in our society.

To record fast moving objects.

To capture bright light.

The amount of light that reaches your camera’s sensor.

Q11: What controls exposure on your camera?

30sec

Depth of field, composition, distance to subject.

Aperture, focal length, ISO.

Aperture, shutter speed, ISO.

Shutter speed, distance to subject, depth of field.

Q12: What control on our camera records moving objects?

20sec

Aperture

White balance

Shutter

ISO

Q13: How do we explain depth of field?

20sec

How much of your image is in focus.

To photograph from a high vantage point.

A view across a field.

A deadpan approach to image making.

Q14: What factors affect Depth of Field?

30sec

Shutter speed, distance from camera to subject, and sensitivity to light.

Lens aperture, distance from camera to subject, and lens focal length.

Lens focal length shutter speed and lens aperture.

Sensitivity to light, shutter speed and lens focal length.

Q15: What is composition in photography?

20sec

Capturing the quality of light.

A piece of music with different instruments.

Staging a portrait with props.

The arrangement of visual elements within the frame.

Q16: What is your understanding of aesthetics in art?

30sec

Concerned with the nature of beauty and taste.

It is subjective and in the eye of the beholder.

Aesthetic qualities refer to the way and artwork looks and feels.

Making a critical judgement based on observation and understanding.

Q17: What are contextual studies in photography?

30sec

To provide historial, cultural and theoterical understanding of images.

Consider factors outside of the image, as well as inside the frame.

To give an opinion without any research.

To seek a definite answer.

Q18: How many images are captured on average every day worldwide?

20sec

1.5 billion

4.7 billion

800 million

6.9 billion

Q19: Which portrait is the most reproduced in the world?

Mona Lisa

Lady Gaga

Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara

The Queen (Elizabeth II)

An environmental portrait is a portrait taken of a subject depicting them in their usual environment, for example, their home or workplace. This typically gives insight to the subject’s surroundings and life.

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Environmental portraits aim to portray a real, authentic representation of the subject being photographed by including parts of their daily life such as their home, surroundings, place of interest, their workplace, and more. These photographs require planning, as to make the composition represent and capture the subject honestly within a setting which reflects the subject’s usual environment which holds meaning and a story. Aspects of the subjects being photographed shine through in this type of photography, giving insight on their life and personality, they can include one or more subject in them. They are different from studio portraits which usually have simpler backgrounds and compositions, usually comprised of a plain background to focus more on the subject, and less on their life.

Who?

For this photo shoot, I am wanting to photograph people in there working environments or in their natural setting like a home. I am planning to get some photos of my family members in my house as this is their natural setting and where they spend the most time. The people who I take photos of who are in their work environment will be taken as random. I will ask these people permission to do this. I also have an advantage in working in a work place myself so I will be able to capture photos of my work colleagues. as well as this, I have friends who work who will be happy for me to take a photo of them.

Where?

The places I am focussing on taking my photos in are my house and the stores in the market. I think the market is a good place to target as it’ll give me a range of retail businesses and a lot of the workers are proud of their profession so would be willing to be apart of a photo to show off their workplace. The places I will also go which are not the market will be my friends workplaces such as the bakery, the garden centre and De Gruchy. Taking photos in my house will also be a very obvious place as it is a natural setting for all of my family members.

Why

I am doing this to show the various different professions people have and be able to capture it in a photograph

How

I am most likely going to be taking these photo so my phone as it is more easier to carry around to various places. However, i also have a camera I am borrowing so I will still be able to get some photos using this. this is good because it will capture better quality photos and will also show the subject I am photographing that i am being genuine by saying it is for my photography work

What do I want the person I am photographing to do?

It would be ideal if my subject would be able to look at the camera when I am photographing them as this is what environmental portraits involves. however, I can understand if they do not want to do that as it is their decision.

Who is Arnold Newman?

Arnold Newman (1918-2006) was an American photographer known for his environmental portraits of artists and politicians. He was also known for his carefully composed abstract still-life images. With his method of portraiture, he placed his sitters in surroundings represented of their professions , aiming to capture the essence of the individuals life and their work. Arnold Newman is widely known for pioneering and popularizing environmental portraits.

About him

Arnold Newman was born March 3rd 1918, in New York City. He studied art under a scholarship at the University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL from 1936 to 1938. In June of 1941, Beaumont Newhall of the Museum of Modern Art and Alfred Stieglitz “discovered” him, and he was given an exhibit with Ben Rose at the A.D. Gallery in September. There he began working on experimental portraiture. He then returned home to Miami Beach, but once he was well established, he moved to New York in 1946 and opened his studio and became a member of the American Society of Magazine Photographers. Newman’s new approach to portraiture began its influence through key publications in America and abroad.  Exhibits and purchases of his work by major museums quickly followed. In 1949, he married Augusta Rubenstein, and they had two sons, Eric, born 1950, and David, 1952. He died in New York City on June 6, 2006 and his wife died in 2009.

Who inspired him?

Arnold Newman stated that he was particularly inspired by Flemish painters. However, he also mentioned the work of Cubists including Picasso, who influenced the way Arnold Newman structured his photographs.

His work

This image shows us into the life of Pablo Picasso, who is the man in this photograph. Pablo Picasso is a famous artist, who painted and made art pieces. In this photograph he is surrounded by all his work, which suggests this is his studio. However, the rocking chair in this photograph also suggests that this is his living area and his home.

This image is in black and white, which most of Arnold Newman’s pictures were. This helped to add more contrast to the photo, because it had lots of light and dark tones throughout the photo. The black and white also helped to create more texture in the photograph, especially in Picasso’s art pieces and canvas painting. The viewpoint of this photo is Picasso, who is in the centre of the photo. Him being in the centre in the composition presents him as the viewpoint, as it is leading out eye towards him. The position Picasso is sat in on his chair, with him leaning forward, leaning on his arms and sat with his legs spread either side of the chair suggests that Picasso is not a very serious person and he has a sense of fun about him. However, Him leaning forward on his chair and leaning of his arms with him in the centre of the room suggests that he owns this room and is proud of everything in it. This photo has natural lighting coming from the side window, but also uses indoor lighting as the photo was taken indoors. This has low light sensitivity as the image is not grainy.

This is a famous photograph of Arnold Newman’s, which was published in The New York Times. This picture contains two people, who are Marylin Monroe and Carl Sandburg, who are pictured in their natural environment, and doing things, which are natural to them, like having an alcoholic drink.

This photo is in black and white, with lots of black and white tones like most of Arnold Newman’s photos. The layout of this photo is the two individuals in the centre of the photo, which then makes them the viewpoint of this photo. The background of this photo suggests that this is their living space or an environment that is natural to them, like a hotel, which they are in often. Marylin Monroe is a famous singer and Carl Sandburg is a famous poet, so him and Marylin tend to stay in hotels often, which is why this photo was set in a hotel room. Marylin Monroe and Carl Sandburg were in a relationship with each other, which makes this environment more natural to them as they are very often together. The photo was taken indoors, so we can interoperate that the lighting of the photo was not natural lighting and a flash was used, or indoor lighting.

The individual, who is the viewpoint in this photograph, is Alfried Krupp, who was an industrialist, who used slave labour. Arnold Newman at first refused to take his photo, as he did not agree with how he did things, but after some time Arnold Newman agreed to photograph him, because he saw this as an opportunity. Alfried Krupp hated this photo and wanted Arnold Newman to delete it, but he didn’t and instead used it as a way to share the unmoral things Alfried Krupp was doing.

The background of this image is Alfried Krupp’s industrial factory, so this environment was natural to him. This photo is one of the few portraits that Arnold Newman took, that wasn’t in black and white, but instead it has a green tint to it, which is caused by the lighting used, as this photo uses quite dim lighting. This makes the photo look more scary and sinister. The individual is posed leaning forward onto his hands, while glaring, which causes him to look really sinister. Arnold Newman used this pose to make Alfried Krupp look really sinister to the viewers, so they would know, that he was a sinister individual in every day life. This photo caused society to learn the real truth about Alfried Krupp and about his industrial business, and it was all because of how Arnold Newman positioned him, the lighting, the background and how he refused to delete the picture when Krupp wanted him to , but instead posted it in the New York Times.

Arnold Newman:

Arnold Newman was an American photographer who was well known for his environmental portraits of artists and politicians. He was also known for his abstract still life images. Newman was born in 1918 and died in 2006. His career in photography began in 1938, in which he worked at chain portrait studios in Philadelphia. The majority of his work is black and white but he does have some images in colour.

Arnold Newman favoured prime lenses and clarity in his images. He was also known for his range of lighting techniques in order to create the tone and atmosphere he desired in his portraits. His advanced skills in using natural lighting and studio setups, helped him to achieve a balance between the subject and their environments. Arnold Newman was less interested in the details of the subject’s surroundings and more interested in the symbols he could create from them.

Throughout his career, Arnold Newman photographed a variety of different famous people. For example: Eleanor Roosevelt, Pablo Picasso, Frank Lloyd Wright, Golda Meir, Andy Warhol, Marilyn Monroe, Salvador Dalí, and the former president Bill Clinton. He found his vision in the empathy he felt for artists and their work. Arnold Newman maintained the mindset that even if the subject he photographed was not known or already forgotten, the photograph should still excite and interest the viewer.

One of Arnold Newman’s well known pictures was the one of Igor Stravinsky in which the lid of his grand piano forms a gargantuan musical note representative of the melodic structure of the composer’s work, showing Arnold’s excellence in being able to carefully compose and frame an image to allow the subject’s surrounding to give us an insight into that person’s life, culture or personality. Arnold generally used a large-format camera and tripod in order to capture every detail in a setting/ environment.

“I didn’t just want to make a photograph with some things in the background. The surroundings had to add to the composition and the understanding of the person. No matter who the subject was, it had to be an interesting photograph. Just to simply do a portrait of a famous person doesn’t mean a thing.” -Arnold Newman.

Arnold Newman was said to be influenced by Flemish painters. Additionally, the work of the Cubists, including Picasso, also influenced the way he structured a photograph.

Arnold Newman’s Environmental Portraits:

I enjoyed looking at Arnold Newman’s work as I felt as if I almost had been able to make up a whole backstory about each person purely based off of their facial expressions and environment they were in, which is what a successful environmental portrait should be able to do. I also like the fact that there is no one in the background of the pictures even in places that you would normally expect to be busy. This made my attention be purely on the subject being photographed. Finally, I like how even when Arnold Newman’s pictures are in black and white, they still manage to captivate his audience and allow for such free creativity as you try and guess what the person in the photo’s life is like.

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. These surroundings often help us to get an insight into that person’s life, culture and status. In most environmental portraits, the subject is staring directly into the camera creating a more personal and intimate image between the viewer and the model.

From looking at these images, I have noticed that generally in the black and white pictures there is more of a sad, melancholy expression on the people’s faces. Whereas, in the coloured images the people seem to look happier and proud of their environment/ profession. This creates more of a positive tone around the images compared to the black and white ones which make me feel more sympathy towards them rather than joy.

Typology is a body of work with a consistent style. Often portrayed in many different forms, some being in a structured group with equal spacing in-between or a particular style in general like the style of environmental portraits. Environmental portraits are often associated with the style of typology as they are always structed images with the same idea of the subject looking into the camera and often centred.

Typology definition: a suite of images or related forms, shot in a consistent, repetitive manner; to be fully understood, the images must be viewed as a complete series.

Definition from: https://harveyalevelphoto.weebly.com/typologies.html#:~:text=Typology,viewed%20as%20a%20complete%20series.%22