What is Environmental portrait?

An environmental portrait is a photograph that depicts a person within their natural or chosen surroundings. The surroundings in the photograph play a vital role in showcasing the personality, character, or profession of the subject. These portraits aim to capture not only the physical appearance of the person but also their connection to the environment.

Why are environmental portraits important?

Environmental portraits are important for several reasons:

1. Context and Storytelling: By placing the subject within their surroundings, environmental portraits provide viewers with a better understanding of who the person is and what their life is like. The surroundings offer valuable context and help to tell a visual story.

2. Personality and Identity: Environmental portraits capture the subject’s personality and identity by showcasing them in a setting that is important to them. This can reveal aspects of their interests, profession, lifestyle, or cultural background.

3. Authenticity and Connection: Environmental portraits can create a deeper connection between the viewer and the subject by showing them in a familiar or relatable setting. It helps to establish a sense of authenticity and allows the viewer to relate to the subject’s experiences.

4. Visual Interest: Including the environment in the photograph adds visual interest and depth to the composition. It provides additional elements such as textures, colors, or patterns that can enhance the overall aesthetic appeal of the image.

5. Emotional Impact: By focusing on the subject and their environment, environmental portraits have the potential to evoke emotions. They can evoke a sense of nostalgia, admiration, curiosity, or empathy by capturing moments that reflect the subject’s emotions or experiences in their surroundings.

Overall, environmental portraits offer a unique and engaging way to visually represent people within their natural or chosen environment, providing a more comprehensive understanding of their lives and stories.

Mood Board

Mind Map

How do we use environmental portraits?

Environmental portraits can be used in various ways, depending on the context and purpose.

1. Editorial and Documentary Photography: Environmental portraits are often used in magazines, newspapers, and documentaries to accompany articles or stories. They help to bring the subject’s experiences and surroundings to life, adding depth and authenticity to the narrative.

2. Corporate and Professional Portraits: Environmental portraits are frequently used in corporate settings to showcase employees, executives, or professionals in their work environment. They can be used for company websites, marketing materials, or professional profiles, providing a more personal and relatable representation of individuals within their professional context.

3. Personal Portraiture: Environmental portraits can be used for personal purposes, such as capturing family members, friends, or oneself in meaningful locations. This allows individuals to showcase their personal character, interests, or relationships within their chosen environments.

4. Artistic Expression: Environmental portraits can also be a tool for artistic expression. Photographers can use unique locations, lighting, and compositions to create visually stunning portraits that convey emotions, stories, or conceptual ideas.

What can environmental portraits say about us?

1. Interests and Hobbies: The choice of environment in an environmental portrait can reveal a person’s interests, hobbies, or passions. For example, a portrait taken in a workshop filled with tools may suggest that the subject is a skilled craftsman or artist.

2. Profession and Expertise: Environmental portraits in a work setting can indicate a person’s profession or area of expertise. For instance, a portrait taken in a laboratory may suggest that the subject is a scientist or researcher.

3. Cultural Identity: The environment and props within an environmental portrait can reflect a person’s cultural identity. Elements such as traditional clothing, artifacts, or symbolic objects can provide insights into a person’s heritage or cultural background.

4. Lifestyle and Personality: Environmental portraits can convey aspects of a person’s lifestyle or personality. For example, a portrait taken in a cozy living room full of books and plants might indicate a love for reading and a preference for a relaxed and nurturing environment.

5. Relationships and Connections: Environmental portraits that include other people or significant objects can communicate relationships and connections. A portrait taken with family members, friends, or beloved pets can show the importance of these relationships to the subject’s life.

6. Environment and Values: Environmental portraits can reflect a person’s values and beliefs. For instance, a portrait taken in a natural landscape may suggest a deep appreciation for nature and environmental conservation.

7. Emotional State: The environment and composition of an environmental portrait can sometimes reveal the subject’s emotional state. Elements such as lighting, facial expressions, and body language combined with the surroundings can convey emotions like joy, solitude, or contemplation.

Where am I taking the photos?

My plan is to take the photos in multiple places because we need to take 100-200 photos. Some places I have picked are;

• Basketball court
• Office
• Rugby field
• Market stores
• Dojo
• Dj set

What do I want my subject to do in the photoshoot?

From the inspiration of other environmental portraits I looked at, I want the person to stand in the middle of the frame with their environment clearly behind them, I am going to take quite a few and also want some where the person is very close and clear to the camera but the background is blurred.

Other photos I want to take are of the person looking at the camera because I saw most environmental portraits where like that but also some where the person is actually doing their environment like rolling out the pizza in a kitchen.

What do I like about environmental portraits

Some of my favourite things in environmental portraits I want to try are;

• black and white (once edited)
• looking away from the camera
• natural lighting
• matching clothes
• matching tools

Who will I photograph?

• Friends
• Family
• Work colleagues
• Strangers

I will take my photos;

• Over the weekend
• Half term

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. It also should resemble if they like their job by facial expressions or how hygienic the workspace is by using effects such as B/W.

It isn’t made in a studio with a simple background. Instead, the subject is photographed in a particular environment, perhaps the place where they work, their home, or anywhere that relates to who they are. Done well, the environmental portrait should give us further insight into the life or character of the subject.

In this photo it shows how the man is working in these poor, hot conditions, where his clothes look dirty and used, and he’s also wearing sandals which means he could damage his feet easily. The use of black and white makes him look sad or old wheres the image below doesn’t.

Whereas this image shows the man looking happy with all the colours popping with the two knife/metal sticks as the main subject but the shaper knife has been blurred. This photo shows how he is happy and enjoys his workspace as it looks like he is cutting meat and other animals in a market which is outdoor, talkative, and friendly to customers.

Arnold Newman, Newman was an American photographer born in 1918 and passed away in 2006. Arnold Newman was well known for his portraits of high-profile individuals such as artists, politicians and celebrities. He is usually acknowledged with making the environmental portraits popular, a style of photography which places the subject in a context or background relevant to their work or personality.

Newman`s portraits normally use a strong sense of composition and he would pay careful attention towards the lighting and the surroundings. Most of Newmans work is in monochrome (black and white) which i really like because it gives off the feeling of nostalgia and it also makes the images alot more dramatic. Arnold Newmans participation to photography and his unique style of portraiture has made himself one of the most important people in the history of photography.

here are some of Arnold Newman`s Images:

Arnold Newman has various museum collections and exhibitions such as: “The great British”, “Five Decades”, “Arnold Newman`s americans” and many more which can be found here, https://arnoldnewman.com/biography.html

Image Analysis

Alfried Krupp, industrialist, Essen, Germany, 1963, Arnold Newman

Visual: The man is the main subject in this image, the background is pretty dark with white artificial lighting which makes it look like a cold environment, its in a industrial place and it has leading lines towards the back of the photo which gives more depth and perception to the image. The train station/factory looks abandoned due to the graffiti on the walls and the overall look of the place.

emotional: Intimidated, cold , serious. these are the feelings I get from this image because the man is staring straight at the viewers and he is in a dark place.

Technical: the photo has a sense of balance because the image uses symmetry this is done with the two pillars being either side of him which makes the image more central and puts the focus on him. the lighting is also done from the top to the bottom and we cant properly see the mans face so this could be to create a sense of anonymous.

Context– Arnold Newman is a Jewish American photographer who took this photo and in the image is Alfred Klupp who is a German who owned many factories in Germany. Arnold Newman did not want to take the photograph at first because Alfred Krupp helped the Germans, but in the end he went through with the job.

Photoshoot Plan

My plan for this photoshoot is to go to various workplaces and take photos of people within their own workplaces. I would like to aim to take photos of mainly people who have dresses in a way that links to their workplace, such as by wearing an apron, suit or outfit with logos of the workplace. I also think it would be a good idea to get photos of my Grandad in his armchair as it is typically the place he is associated with. Some locations I am going to try get photos are in the Market, at Waffle House and I may see if I can go to the States of Jersey offices with my parents.

Contact Sheet

This is my contact sheet of all of my photos taken in the photoshoot. I am now going to create a smaller contact sheet with all of my best images for editing.

This is a collection of my best photos which I am going to use to edit.

Edits

Edit 1

This is a photo of my Grandad in his Armchair. I edited this photo by cropping it then decreasing exposure, contrast and shadows. I finished off by increasing highlights, texture and clarity.

Edit 2

I got this photo in Little Wren in the Market of the lady who works there stood at the till. I edited this photo by slightly cropping the bottom and increasing the texture and clarity to make the image more clear and give it more depth.

Edit 3

This is a photo of the man who works in Waffle House. I edited this photo by, starting off, cropping the top, bottom and left then slightly decreasing the exposure. Lastly, I increased the temperature, tint, texture and clarity.

Edit 4

This is a photo of my Dad at his desk at work. I edited this photo by cropping the top and bottom then increasing the texture and clarity.

Edit 5

This is one of the very important bosses within the States of Jersey. I edited this photo by, firstly, cropping the top and bottom then slightly rotating it so that the side of the shelving unit lines up with the side of the photo. Finally, I increased the exposure, highlights and texture.

Edit 6

This is a photo of a random guy at the States building. I edited this photo by cropping the bottom and then increasing the texture and clarity to enhance the finer details.

Edit 7

I took this photo in the Warehouse where they maintain Government vehicles, this is one of the Mechanics. I edited this photo by slight rotating the photo so that the beam across the image is straight and then I cropped the top of the image. I also increased the texture and clarity and slightly adjusted the exposure.

Edit 8

This is a photo of another Mechanic who is doing work on a Police Motorcycle. I edited this photo by cropping the top and slightly decreasing the exposure to make is more clear and less pixelated.

Edit 9

All I did to edit this photo was decreasing the texture then, additionally, using the brush tool to decrease the exposure of the windows.

Edit 10

This is a photo of one of the States workers who are in charge of the pumping stations on the Island, as shown by the map on the TV screen. I edited this photo by cropping the top and then increasing the texture and decreasing the exposure.

Final Outcomes

Virtual Gallery

Evaluation

In 1963, Jewish photographer Arnold Newman was commissioned by Newsweek to take a portrait of Alfred Krupp, a convicted Nazi war criminal. At first, Newman refused, but eventually, he decided to take the assignment as a form of personal revenge. The resulting portrait became one of the most controversial and significant images of its time.

Alfred Krupp by Arnold Newman

Alfred Krupp was a German industrialist who ran the Krupp empire, a major arms manufacturer during World War II. Convicted as a war criminal for his company’s use of slave labour, he was later pardoned. Despite his pardon, Krupp remained a controversial figure, and his reputation as a ruthless businessman and war profiteer followed him.

To capture the image he envisioned, Newman had a platform erected, positioning Krupp against an industrial backdrop. He asked Krupp to lean forward slightly and clasp his fingers under his chin, creating an unsettling and sinister appearance. The portrait captured the essence of Krupp’s character, making him look like the embodiment of evil.

Newman wanted to take this photograph as a way or revenge for what Krupp had done in his past especially to Newman’s own race. Which Newman executed perfectly capturing his pure evil and upsetting Krupp.

Arnold Newman. Igor Stravinsky

This picture is dominated by a grand piano silhouetted against a white wall with the composer confined to the corner.

His black and white portrait of Igor Stravinsky seated at a grand piano became his signature image, even though it was rejected by the magazine that gave the assignment to Newman. Taken during a rehearsal in New York (December 1, 1946), the image juxtaposes Stravinsky with the piano, and together they form the shape of a musical note. 

The image is almost monotone, dominated by the stark geometric contrast between the white wall and the black piano. Newman deliberately used the open lid of the piano because he felt “It is like the shape of a musical flat symbol—strong, linear, and beautiful, just like Stravinsky’s work.”

His dramatic cropping of the composition was a key technique that Newman often utilised to make for more immediate impact. He would routinely experiment with aggressive crops of his original picture, intending to maximise the overall effect.

Photoshoot 1:

Photoshoot 2:

For these 2 photoshoots, I made the mistake of using my phone as a camera. Therefore the quality is not as detailed and the subject isn’t as focused as they would’ve been if I used a Digital Camera. I do like these images because both of these photoshoots provide portraits of people within different social environments. Photoshoot 1 is of my work colleague playing chess, and naturally posing for the camera. The subject is aware he is being photographed, but I could’ve improved these photos by making sure the subject was looking directly at the camera and making a connection with the viewer. In these photos, the subject is the main focus as he is the only person present, making it clearer to the viewers about what is happening. Photoshoot 2 is purposely a lot different, as the subject was not aware he was being photographed. Also, in these photos there is more than one person present, making the ‘subject’ not fully focused on. Although, it is clear to viewers that the DJ is supposedly meant to be the main focus of the image. I also should’ve tried to make the subject more centred, and as we can see the photos were taken on an angle so this made it difficult to include more of the background. The lighting also affected these images because we were in a dark environment, with only artificial and coloured lighting. The low light helped create a sense of gloom and mystery. Some of these images appear to be more blurred than the others, and this is because it was difficult to get a still, focused shot of the DJ when he was not aware of the photoshoot at that moment. This subtracts the effect from the images, as it looks as though the photos were not planned out or thought through enough.

Photoshoot 3:

Photoshoot 4:

Photoshoot 5:

Photoshoot 6:

Photoshoot 7:

Photoshoot 8:

Photoshoot 9:

Photoshoot 10:

Photoshoot 11:

Photoshoot 12:

Photoshoot 13:

Photoshoot 14:

Extras:

Overall, I did around 15 photoshoots altogether. I used different people in different environments to create stories behind the images. My favourite photoshoot I did was photoshoot 7. I like these images because it is clear what environment the subjects are linked to, and also in some there is only one subject and in the rest there are 2, therefore it adds contrast. I also like photoshoot 8, because the subject is looking directly in the camera with a serious and dead facial expression. This creates a mood of frustration for the viewer.

Environmental Portraits depict people in their working environments or environments they are associated with.

They are portraits which are taken in the subjects natural surroundings, such as their home or workplace, that illuminates the subjects life and surroundings.

I think the portraits are unique and interesting, because they aren’t photographed in a studio, they are in the subjects particular environment, which relates to the person. Also, they engage the viewer creating a meaningful story behind the photo as we learn something about them.

Alys Tomlinson’s work is very minimalistic and vey detailed, the backgrounds are filled with details and different surroundings which makes the photo stand out a lot more, if I were to compare this artist to jimmy Nelson I would say that nelson made the models more detailed whether it was to do with their culture, they made the background quite plain and simple to add more contrast to the person however Tomlinson made sure to do the opposite of that, she made the model look more simple but added a detailed background whether the model was standing in front of trees, houses or fences. I really like what Tomlinson has done to the photo making it black and white which makes it more modern effect can also effect the mood of the photo some would say they look quite sad as most of them aren’t smiling and are looking the camera with natural look. Another thing that I quite like that Tomlinson has done is that in a few of her photos she has blurred the background so that the focus is on the model and the model only. However the ones where the background isn’t blurred still looks good although there is less in the background, which makes the model instantly pop out.

PHOTO ANALYSIS.

For this photoshoot, me and my colleague both walked around St.Helier and took photos of a variety of different people, with different jobs and environments. For example, some was of local shops like IKeys, others were builders in their building site. We also took a few of people playing sports like basketball and of some random people going about their day.

This is one of my favourites from this photo shoot. Its of 2 guys who we asked to take some photos of. We captured them from many different angles and this ones my favourite because they are acting as if the camera was not even there presenting them in reality. There body and faces match the rule of thirds, making the picture not feel awkward, with things seeming in place. I think cigarettes always add character and the fella suggested it so we went with it.

For this portrait, after a basketball game I took photos of my mate under a hoop, staring into the camera, while i was standing on the viewing platform at the top. Its quite intimidating but the hoop in the way keeps a distance between him and the viewer. I got him to hold to basketballs to connect him to his environment more.