People

Portrait Photography

Portrait photography or portraiture is photography of a person or group of people that displays the expression, personality, and mood of the subject. Like other types of portraiture, the focus of the photograph is usually the person's face, although the entire body and the background or context may be included.

History

Portrait photographs have been made since virtually the invention of the camera. The relatively low cost of the daguerreotype in the middle of the 19th century and the reduced sitting time for the subject, though still much longer than now, led to a general rise in the popularity of portrait photography over painted portraiture. The style of these early works reflected the technical challenges associated with long exposure times and the painterly aesthetic of the time. Subjects were generally seated against plain backgrounds and lit with the soft light of an overhead window and whatever else could be reflected with mirrors. Advances in photographic equipment and techniques developed, and gave photographers the ability to capture images with shorter exposure times and the making of portraits outside the studio.

Approaches to portraiture

There are essentially four approaches that can be taken in photographic portraiture — the constructionist, environmental, candid and creative approaches. Each approach has been used over time for different reasons be they technical, artistic or cultural. The constructionist approach is when the photographer in their portraiture constructs an idea around the portrait — happy family, romantic couple, trustworthy executive. It is the approach used in most studio and social photography. It is also used extensively in advertising and marketing when an idea has to be put across. The environmental approach depicts the subject in their environment be that a work, leisure, social or family one. They are often shown as doing something, a teacher in a classroom, an artist in a studio, a child in a playground. With the environmental approach more is revealed about the subject. Environmental pictures can have good historical and social significance as primary sources of information. The candid approach is where people are photographed without their knowledge going about their daily business. Whilst this approach taken by the paparazzi is criticized and frowned upon for obvious reasons, less invasive and exploitative candid photography has given the world superb and important images of people in various situations and places over the last century. The images of Parisians by Doisneau and Cartier-Bresson to name but two, demonstrate this. As with environmental photography, candid photography is important as a historical source of information about people. The Creative Approach is where digital manipulation (and formerly darkroom manipulation) is brought to bear to produce wonderful pictures of people. It is becoming a major form of portraiture as these techniques become more widely understood and used.

Lighting for portraiture

When portrait photographs are composed and captured in a studio, the photographer has control over the lighting of the composition of the subject and can adjust direction and intensity of light. There are many ways to light a subject's face, but there are several common lighting plans which are easy enough to describe.

Three-point lighting

One of the most basic lighting plans is called three-point lighting. This plan uses three (and sometimes four) lights to fully model (bring out details and the three-dimensionality of) the subject's features. The three main lights used in this light plan are as follows:

Key-Light

Also called a main light, the key light is usually placed to one side of the subject's face, between 30 and 60 degrees off center and a bit higher than eye level. The purpose of the Key-Light is to give shape (modelling) to a subject, typically a face. This relies on the first principle of lighting, white comes out of a plane and black goes back into a plane. The depth of shadow created by the Main-Light can be controlled with a Fill-Light.

Fill light

In modern photography, the fill-light is used to control the contrast in the scene and is nearly always placed above the lens axis and is a large light source (think of the sky behind your head when taking a photograph). As the amount of light is less than the key-light (main-light), the fill acts by lifting the shadows only (particularly relevant in digital photography where the noise lives in the shadows). It is true to say that light bounces around a room and fills in the shadows but this does not mean that a fill-light should be placed opposite a key-light (main-light) and it does not soften shadows, it lifts them. The relative intensity (ratio) of the Key-light to the fill-light is most easily discussed in terms of "Stops" difference (where a Stop is a doubling or halving of the intensity of light). A 2 Stop reduction in intensity for the Fill-Light would be a typical start point to maintain dimensionality (modelling) in a portrait (head and shoulder) shot.

Accent-Light

Accent-lights serve the purpose of accentuating a subject. Typically an Accent-light will separate a subject from a background. Examples would be a light shining onto a subject's hair to add a rim effect or shining onto a background to lift the tones of a background. There can be many accent lights in a shot, another example would be a spotlight on a handbag in a fashion shot. When used for separation, i.e. a hair-light, the light should not be more dominant than the main light for general use. Think in terms of a "Kiss of moonlight", rather than a "Strike of lightning", although there are no "shoulds" in photography and it is up to the photographer to decide on the authorship of their shot.

Kicker

A Kicker is a form of Accent-Light. Often used to give a backlit edge to a subject on the shadow side of the subject.

Butterfly lighting

Butterfly lighting uses only two lights. The Key light is placed directly in front of the subject, often above the camera or slightly to one side, and a bit higher than is common for a three-point lighting plan. The second light is a rim light. Often a reflector is placed below the subject's face to provide fill light and soften shadows.

This lighting can be recognized by the strong light falling on the forehead, the bridge of the nose and the upper cheeks, and by the distinct shadow below the nose which often looks rather like a butterfly and thus provides the name for this lighting plan. Butterfly lighting was a favourite of famed Hollywood portraitist George Hurrell, which is why this style of lighting is often called Paramount lighting.

Accessory lights

These lights can be added to basic lighting plans to provide additional highlights or add background definition.

Background lights

Not so much a part of the portrait lighting plan, but rather designed to provide illumination for the background behind the subject, background lights can pick out details in the background, provide a halo effect by illuminating a portion of a backdrop behind the subject's head, or turn the background pure white by filling it with light.

Other lighting equipment

Most lights used in modern photography are a flash of some sort. The lighting for portraiture is typically diffused by bouncing it from the inside of an umbrella, or by using a soft box. A soft box is a fabric box, encasing a photo strobe head, one side of which is made of translucent fabric. This provides a softer lighting for portrait work and is often considered more appealing than the harsh light often cast by open strobes. Hair and background lights are usually not diffused. It is more important to control light spillage to other areas of the subject. Snoots, barn doors and flags or gobos help focus the lights exactly where the photographer wants them. Background lights are sometimes used with color gels placed in front of the light to create coloured backgrounds.

Window light portraiture

Window light used to create soft light to the portrait

Windows as a source of light for portraits have been used for decades before artificial sources of light were discovered. According to Arthur Hammond, amateur and professional photographers need only two things to light a portrait: a window and a reflector. Although window light limits options in portrait photography compared to artificial lights it gives ample room for experimentation for amateur photographers. A white reflector placed to reflect light into the darker side of the subject's face, will even the contrast. Shutter speeds may be slower than normal, requiring the use of a tripod, but the lighting will be beautifully soft and rich.

The best time to take window light portrait is considered to be early hours of the day and late hours of afternoon when light is more intense on the window. Curtains, reflectors, and intensity reducing shields are used to give soft light. While mirrors and glasses can be used for high key lighting. At times colored glasses, filters and reflecting objects can be used to give the portrait desired color effects. The composition of shadows and soft light gives window light portraits a distinct effect different from portraits made from artificial lights.

While using window light, the positioning of the camera can be changed to give the desired effects. Such as positioning the camera behind the subject can produce a silhouette of the individual while being adjacent to the subject give a combination of shadows and soft light. And facing the subject from the same point of light source will produce high key effects with least shadows.

Styles of portraiture

There are many different techniques for portrait photography. Often it is desirable to capture the subject's eyes and face in sharp focus while allowing other less important elements to be rendered in a soft focus. At other times, portraits of individual features might be the focus of a composition such as the hands, eyes or part of the subject's torso. Additionally another style such as head shot has came out of the portraiture technique and has become a style on its own.

6 Portrait Lighting Patterns

In classical portraiture there are several things you need to control and think about to make a flattering portrait of your subjects, including: lighting ratio, lighting pattern, facial view, and angle of view. I suggest you get to know these basics inside out, and as with most things, then you can break the rules. But if you can nail this one thing you’ll be well on your way to great people photos. In this article we’re going to look at lighting pattern: what is it, why it’s important, and how to use it. Perhaps in another future article, if you enjoy this one, I’ll talk about the other aspects of good portraiture.

Lighting pattern I’d define as, how light and shadow play across the face to create different shapes. What shape is the shadow on the face, in simple terms. There are four common portrait lighting patterns, they are:

• Split lighting
• Loop lighting
• Rembrandt lighting
• Butterfly lighting

There are also Broad and Short lighting which are more of a style, and can be used with most of the patterns above. Let’s look at each of them individually.

1. Split Lighting

Split lighting is exactly as the name implies – it splits the face exactly into equal halves with one side being in the light, and the other in shadow. It is often used to create dramatic images for things such as a portrait of a musician or an artist. Split lighting tends to be a more masculine pattern and as such is usually more appropriate or applicable on men than it is for women. Keep in mind however, there are no hard and fast rules, so I suggest you use the information I provide here as a starting point or guideline. Until you learn this and can do it in your sleep, default to the guideline whenever you’re not sure.

To achieve split lighting simply put the light source 90 degrees to the left or right of the subject, and possibly even slightly behind their head. Where you place the light in relation to the subject will depend on the person’s face. Watch how the light falls on them and adjust accordingly. In true split lighting, the eye on the shadow side of the face does pick up light in the eye only. If by rotating their face a bit more light falls on their cheek, it’s possible their face just isn’t ideal for split lighting.

NOTE: any lighting pattern can be created on any facial view (frontal view showing both ears, or ¾ face, or even profile). Just keep in mind that your light source must follow the face to maintain the lighting pattern. If they turn their head the pattern will change. So you can use that to your advantage to easily adjust the patten just by them rotating their head a little.

What the heck is a “catchlight”?

Notice in this photo above that the baby’s eyes have a reflection of the actual light source in them. It shows up as a little white spot, but if we look closer we can actually see the shape of the light I used in this portrait.

See how the bright spot is actually hexagon with a dark centre? That’s the light I used which was a small hexagon shaped soft box on my Canon speedlight.

This is what is known as the “catchlight”. Without the eye of the subject catching this light, the eyes will appear dark, dead and lifeless. You need to ensure that at least one eye has a catchlight to give the subject life. Notice it also lightens the iris and brightens the eye overall. This also adds to the feeling of life and gives them a sparkle.

2. Loop Lighting

Loop lighting is made by creating a small shadow of the subjects noses on their cheeks. To create loop lighting, the light source must be slightly higher than eye level and about 30-45 degrees from the camera (depends on the person, you have to learn how to read people’s faces).

Look at this image to see where the shadows fall, and on their left sides you can see a small shadow of their noses. In loop lighting the shadow of the nose and that of the cheek do NOT touch. Keep the shadow small and slightly downward pointing, but be aware of having your light source too high which will create odd shadows and cause loss of the catchlights. Loop light is probably the most common or popular lighting pattern as it is easy to create and flatters most people.

In this diagram the black backdrop represents the bank of trees behind them. The sun is coming over the trees but they are completely in the shade. A white reflector is used at camera left to bounce light back into the subjects’ faces. The reflector may or may not be in the sun but you can still pick up light even if it’s not. Just play with the angles, by changing the placement of the reflector you can change the lighting pattern. For Loop lighting it will need to be somewhere around 30-45 degrees from the camera. It also needs to be slightly above their eye level so the shadow or loop of their nose angles down towards the corner of the mouth. That is one mistake I often see beginners make with reflectors is to place them down low and angle it up. That lights up the bottom of your subject’s nose and does not create a flattering pattern.

3. Rembrandt Lighting

Rembrandt lighting is so named because the Rembrandt the painter often used this pattern of light in his paintings, as you can see in his self portrait here. Rembrandt lighting is identified by the triangle of light on the cheek. Unlike loop lighting where the shadow of the nose and cheek do not touch, in Rembrandt lighting they do meet which, creates that trapped little triangle of light in the middle. To create proper Rembrandt lighting make sure the eye on the shadow side of the face has light in it and has a catch light, otherwise the eye will be “dead” and not have a nice sparkle. Rembrandt lighting is more dramatic, so like split lighting it creates more mood and a darker feel to your image. Use it appropriately.

To create Rembrandt lighting the subject must turn slightly away from the light. The light must be above the top of their head so that the shadow from their nose falls down towards the cheek. Not every person’s face is ideal for creating Rembrandt lighting. If they have high or prominent cheek bones it will probably work. If they have a small nose or flat bridge of the nose, it may be difficult to achieve. Again, keep in mind you don’t have to make exactly this pattern or another, just so long as the person is flattered, and the mood you want is created – then the lighting is working. If you are using window light and the window goes down to the floor, you may have to block off the bottom portion with a gobo or card, to achieve this type of lighting.

4. Butterfly Lighting

Butterfly lighting is aptly named for the butterfly shaped shadow that is created under the nose by placing the main light source above and directly behind the camera. The photographer is basically shooting underneath the light source for this pattern. It is most often used for glamour style shots and to create shadows under the cheeks and chin. It is also flattering for older subjects as it emphasizes wrinkles less than side lighting.

Butterfly lighting is created by having the light source directly behind the camera and slightly above eye or head level of the subject (depends on the person). It is sometimes supplemented by placing a reflector directly under their chin, with the subject themselves even holding it! This pattern flatters subjects with defined or prominent cheek bones and a slim face. Someone with a round, wide face would look better with loop or even split to slim their face. This pattern is tougher to create using windowlight or a reflector alone. Often a harder light source like the sun or a flash is needed to produce the more defined shadow under the nose.

5. Broad Lighting

Broad lighting is not so much a particular pattern, but a style of lighting. Any of the following patterns of light can be either broad or short: loop, Rembrandt, split.

Broad lighting is when the subject’s face is slightly turned away from centre, and the side of the face which is toward the camera (is broader) is in the light. This produces a larger area of light on the face, and a shadow side which appears smaller. Broad lighting is sometimes used for “high key” portraits. This type of lighting makes a person’s face look broader or wider (hence the name) and can be used on someone with a very slim face to widen it. Most people however want to look slimmer, not wider so this type of lighting would not be appropriate for someone who is heavier or round faced.

To create broad lighting the face is turned away from the light source. Notice how the side of the face that is towards the camera has the most light on it and the shadows are falling on the far side of the face, furthest from the camera. Simply put broad lighting illuminates the largest part of the face showing.

6. Short Lighting

Short lighting is the opposite of broad lighting. As you can see by the example here, short lighting puts the side turned towards the camera (that which appears larger) in more shadow. It is often used for low key, or darker portraits. It puts more of the face in shadow, is more sculpting, add 3D qualities, and is slimming and flattering for most people.

In short lighting, the face is turned towards the light source this time. Notice how the part of the face that is turned away from the camera has the most light on it and the shadows are falling on the near side of the face, closet to the camera. Simply put short lighting has shadows on the largest part of the face showing.

Artists and their portrait Genres

Jacob Riss – Enviromental/Fine Art

Jacob August Riis (May 3, 1849 – May 26, 1914) was a Danish American social reformer, "muckraking" journalist and social documentary photographer. He is known for using his photographic and journalistic talents to help the impoverished in New York City; those impoverished New Yorkers were the subject of most of his prolific writings and photography. He endorsed the implementation of "model tenements" in New York with the help of humanitarian Lawrence Veiller. Additionally, as one of the most famous proponents of the newly practicable casual photography, he is considered one of the fathers of photography due to his very early adoption of flash in photography.

Daine Airbus

was an American photographer and writer noted for black-and-white square photographs of "deviant and marginal people (dwarfs, giants, transgender people, nudists, circus performers) or of people whose normality seems ugly or surreal". Arbus believed that a camera could be "a little bit cold, a little bit harsh" but its scrutiny revealed the truth; the difference between what people wanted others to see and what they really did see – the flaws

Dorothea Large

Dorothea Lange (May 26, 1895 – October 11, 1965) was an influential American documentary photographer and photojournalist, best known for her Depression-era work for the Farm Security Administration (FSA). Lange's photographs humanized the consequences of the Great Depression and influenced the development of documentary photography.

Colin Jones – candid/Enviromental

His work has been published in every major publication with any regard for the image, such as Life, and National Geographic, as well as in many supplements for the major broadsheets. He has had solo exhibitions at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC and at the Photographers' Gallery in London, as well as at many other venues Internationally.

Paul Strand – Candid

Paul Strand (October 16, 1890 – March 31, 1976) was an American photographer and filmmaker who, along with fellow modernist photographers like Alfred Stieglitz and Edward Weston, helped establish photography as an art form in the 20th century. His diverse body of work, spanning six decades, covers numerous genres and subjects throughout the Americas, Europe, and Africa.

Lewis Hine – environmental/Fine Art/candid/corporara

Lewis Wickes Hine (September 26, 1874 – November 3, 1940) was an American sociologist and photographer. Hine used his camera as a tool for social reform. His photographs were instrumental in changing the child labor laws in the United States

George Eastman – Enviromental/Candid

George Eastman (July 12, 1854 – March 14, 1932) was an American innovator and entrepreneur who founded the Eastman Kodak Company and popularized the use of roll film, helping to bring photography to the mainstream.

Jane Evelyn Atwood – Enviromental

ane Evelyn Atwood defines herself more as a photographer of projects rather than a photojournalist. Her photographic projects can take several years in order to go deep into the topic. Her photography study of women in prison took nearly 10 years. Atwood had access to more than 40 prisons, including the toughest prisons in Eastern and Western Europe and in the United States and also death row. Other themes include prostitutes in Paris ("Rue des Lombards", her first project), blind children, Darfur, and Haiti. She also did a four-year study of landmine victims in Cambodia, Angola, Kosovo, Mozambique and Afghanistan. In addition, Atwood participated in neo-media projects organized by the French photography institution.

Anna Fox – candid

Anna Fox (born 1961) is a British photographer. She studied at Farnham, Surrey, and first came to attention with her 1988 documentary study of London office life on the mid-1980s, Work Stations: Office Life in London, published by the left-wing Camerawork. Between 2001 & 2003 she published four monographs in her "Made in" series: Made in Milton Keynes, Made in Kansas, Made in Gothenburg and Made in Florence. Fox is perhaps best known for her Zwarte Piet series (1993-8, published as the book Zwarte Piet 1999), which documents 'black face' folk culture traditions in The Netherlands. She currently works as head of photography at The University for the Creative Arts at Farnham. A retrospective 300-page book Anna Fox: Photographs by Anna Fox from 1983- was published by Photoworks (ISBN 1-903796-17-2) in 2007. In November 2009 she was nominated for the 2010 Deutsche Börse Photography Prize, held at the Photographers Gallery, London.

Chris Linaker – environmental/Candid

Chris Linaker is a British documentary photographer whose work has been exhibited and published internationally. Chris’s approach primarily focuses on social documentary and portraiture with an emphasis on lifestyle, leisure, and the cultures that are affiliated within these subject matters.

Richard Avedin – Fine Art/Enviromental/candid

Richard Avedon (May 15, 1923 – October 1, 2004) was an American fashion and portrait photographer. An obituary published in The New York Times said that "his fashion and portrait photographs helped define America's image of style, beauty and culture for the last half-century.

Henry Cartier Dresson – Candid/environmental

Henri Cartier-Bresson (August 22, 1908 – August 3, 2004) was a French photographer considered to be the father of photojournalism. He was an early adopter of 35 mm format, and the master of candid photography. He helped develop the street photography or life reportage style that was coined The Decisive Moment that has influenced generations of photographers who followed.

Alfred Stelglitz – Fine Art/Enviromental/Candid

Alfred Stieglitz (January 1, 1864 – July 13, 1946) was an American photographer and modern art promoter who was instrumental over his fifty-year career in making photography an accepted art form. In addition to his photography, Stieglitz is known for the New York art galleries that he ran in the early part of the 20th century, where he introduced many avant-garde European artists to the U.S. He was married to painter Georgia O'Keeffe.

James Day
Based in London, James Day is an internationally renowned photographer working in advertising and editorial fields. Gaining numerous photography awards including grand Clio and Golden Lion at Cannes his work has been featured in The New York Times and Uk Wired to name a few. Prestigous clients include Sony, Fore and Audi.

Annie leibovitz –
Is an American portrait photographer, renowned for photographing celebrities through out the world.

Mario Testino – Commercial/Fashion/Corporate

Mario Testino, OBE (was born on October 30, 1954) is a Peruvian fashion photographer. His work has been featured in magazines such as Vogue and Vanity Fair. His career highpoint came when he was chosen by Diana, Princess of Wales, for her Vanity Fair photoshoot in 1997. Testino has been regularly employed by the British royal family ever since.

Aaron Hicklin of The Observer described him as "the world's most prolific magazine and fashion trade photographer".His persistence in shooting Gisele Bündchen is widely credited with elevating her to supermodel status.

Nicola Bailey – corporate/environmental

Specialising in unique portraits and candid moments, Nicola Bailey uses her distinctive style of photography to bring stories to life.

50 Images Homework
we were asked to choose somebody and create 50 images of them and put them into a collage. I chose my stepdaughter Lauren, I wanted to try a few different locations to shoot, some with atmosphere and some more natural. 

Final Collage.

Famous Portrait Homework
We were asked to reproduce a piece of work by a well known artist
I started to look at photographers work and came across 

                        a l e c i  p h o t o g r a p h y

I love his use of low light and his direction in his images, so decided to replicate one of his images.

My 

Reproduction

My biggest difficulty was replicating the light and shadows in the shot. I used a speedlight and a diffuser for lighting above head height to create a soft ambient lighting. I then used Lightroom 5 to convert to black and White and alter highlights in the eyes and clarity in the overall image.

Face Painting and Emotion

We were asked to choose a partner and paint their face with what we think represents them inside, an emotion we don't see, that we think shows in their character. I partnered up with Shaun Richardson, both him and his fiance are both mature students studying at university and with six children to look after it can't be easy, to take on a huge commitment with six children, a house to run and the normal daily struggles, I believe it takes someone with a lot of character and fight, determination and the will to succeed. I chose to base paint his face white, symbolic of purity and honesty, the black stripes under his eyes were to represent "the all American Footballer" to again symbolize, the will to win, to fight and to chase dreams. The lighting was very significant to my view on Shaun, dark background with his face illuminating from the shadows to signify his effort to succeed and emerge into a lighter and better place.

I am quite happy with the results, although I would have liked a little more time to create an image that reflected him looking less menacing!!!

Lighting The Subject

Lighting people

Enviromental-The working Enviroment

The Brief

Task - Produce a set of finished (edited) environmental portrait images of people at work, which equally portray the sitter and their environment and convey the relationship and relevance between the two. This should be done in relation to the images you research.

Research/background

Research into 3 or more different environmental portraits and analyse them. This should include the different techniques used within the images. Such as lighting source/directionality and composition,

This should inform our own response to;

Lighting

When shooting the image you should consider the lighting used in your researched images and after analysis use these techniques when making your own images

Composition

Composition is important when creating environmental portraits. Making sure you get the right amount of space with the actual environment and the person as a subject is vital. This is another area where your research will come into play, looking at lots of different images within this subject area will help when you come to capturing your own images.

Final submission

The final submission should be a finished & edited set of 3 images uploaded onto both Flickr & FB people page within individual folders containing the students name as well as one (your best) as an A4 submission quality printed image.

Each image should be accompanied by a short explanation or rationale that includes approach taken.

The deadline for this brief is the 13^th March

Arnold Newman

Most of Arnold Newmans work was done for magazines, he would meticulously capture his subjects in their own daily environments, taking his own lighting to create a definitive visual element in his work to produce a carefully controlled setting, allowing him to produce depth and emotion in his work.

Stravinsky

Stravinsky is photographed with a piano, Black and white with deep contrasting tones from the subject, the walls and the piano. his face has a dramatic serious expression lit above from the right creating great shadows and highlights on his arm and face. Ironically the piano lid symbolizes a musical note.

Gregory Hiesler

Gregory Hiesler is in my opinion a master of lighting, his portrait shots are designed around his superior knowledge of light. I quote on composition ” it’s not composition, it’s the structure of the picture, the bones of the picture.  Composition is the bones and the light lets you see the bones.”

The miners portraits were shot on location in West Virginia, they are real miners, photographed as they came off shift.

Miners

This image in my opinion opitamises great enviromental photography, no background to explain the narrative, just the simple subject matter. The miners helmet with the light on, dirty face and tired eyes. A single flash light was used to illuminate the face from the front, adding catch lights in the eyes and  giving this image a fantastic tone.

Michael Grecco

Michael is an award winning commercial photographer based in America, noted for his innovative punchy magazine covers.

I really like the impact the subject has in this image, the light and highlights on his face really add a dramatic punch to this shot.

Types of Environmental Portrait

An environmental portrait is one where you take a photo of a person that includes enough of the background to tell a story about your subject. There are two broad categories. The first is when you put the person into an environment which is not their own. This is often done in fashion and editorial photography and can be very creative. The background will often be very brightly coloured or unusual in some way. They provide a stunning backdrop against which to photograph the people in the photos.

The second is when you photograph someone in their natural environment, including elements of the background to tell the viewer something about the subject. This is the approach taken by photojournalists, documentary photographers, travel photographers and also some fine art photographers. You will see lots of this type of photo if you read National Geographic.

This is not an environmental portrait - the background is blurred and we can't see any of the girl's surroundings.

This is an environmental portrait - we can clearly see the girl's surroundings. This is a fashion or editorial style environmental portrait. The girl is not in her natural environment, she has been photographed here because the location is photogenic.

We will take a look at both types of environmental portraiture in this article, concentrating mostly on the second type. By the time you have finished reading you will be full of ideas for taking your own environmental portraits.

Fashion and Editorial Photography

Fashion and editorial photographers like to put someone in an environment that is not their own (an editorial photographer in this context is someone who takes photos of well-known people, such as rock stars, to illustrate magazine articles about them). A good example is someone taking photos of a fashion model in a grimy, run down street. The model is not from that street, and the photo tells you nothing about her life. The street is just an interesting background for the photo.

This type of photography can be extremely creative - just take a look at the fashion stories in magazines like Elle and Vogue. These fashion stories can be a great source of inspiration for your own photos. If you want to try your hand at photographing a friend, partner or model, you will get plenty of ideas from the pages of fashion magazines.

The key to being successful with this type of photography is to find suitable backgrounds. Some ideas: ruins, fairgrounds, woods, beaches, parks, childrens' playgrounds, city streets.

This photo was taken at some local ruins - a spectacular backdrop for portraits.

Travel and Documentary Photography

This type of environmental portraiture is the opposite from the first. The subject is photographed in their natural environment and the background tells you something about the person in the photo.

This is the sort of environmental portrait taken by travel photographers, documentary photographers and photojournalists. It is the kind of photo that you may take when you are on a round the world trip or a holiday in another country. It is also the type of photo you can take of interesting characters in your own country.

This photo was taken in Bolivia but is not an environmental portrait. It's a portrait of a local woman, but the background is just a blur - it doesn't tell us anything about her.

This photo was also taken in Bolivia and is an environmental portrait. The background of the photo shows the woman and her daughter in their natural environment.

Approaching Strangers

It can be very difficult to approach a stranger to ask them whether you can take their photo, especially if you are in a new country and you are unsure of the local customs and do not speak the local language.

It is a good idea to read up on the local culture beforehand if you are in a place that you are not familiar with. There are some countries where people do not like being photographed. In Bolivia, for instance, we were told by an indigenous woman that her doctor told her that if someone takes her photo, they are taking a little of her health away. She refused to be photographed - and so did just about every other indigenous person that I asked. If you know that people do not liked to be photographed, then you will not be put off or take it personally when they say no. You also know that you have to find another solution (there are some good ideas later on in the article if this happens to you).

In some countries people love to be photographed. India is a good example of this (so I understand, I have not been there myself). It is much easier to approach people if they like to be photographed.

The secret, if there is one, is to just do it. If you want to photograph someone, go up and ask. If you do not speak the language, point to your camera and smile - they will soon let you know if they do not want to be photographed. If they don't, respect their wishes. How would you feel if a tourist in your country kept trying to take your photo because to them, you are a curiosity?

If you speak the local language you have a big advantage. Talking to people is often the best way to ask them for a photo. If you are genuinely interested in them, and talk to them about their lives and the place they live in, not only are they far more likely to agree when you ask to take a photo, but you will learn something new about them and the place you are visiting.

The girl in the yellow shorts laughed at me and pulled a face when I passed by. Seeing that the people were friendly (the photo was taken in Nicaragua) I asked if I could take a photo and they agreed. I used a wide angle lens to include plenty of background, and the girls' mother and sister.

Candid Portraits

If you are not comfortable with asking people if you can take their photo, or you do not speak the language, or you already know that more than likely they will say no, there are other approaches.

One is to take a photo where the person is a small part of a big scene. The idea is to compose the photo in such a way that the person gives scale and a human perspective to the scene.

This photo was taken in a remote town in Argentina. The man in the photo is such a small part of the composition (plus he was walking away from me) that I had no need to ask him for permission.

Festivals, Fiestas, and Other Celebrations

No matter where you are, local festivals and celebrations are always a good opportunity to take photos of the local people. People are having fun and involved in the moment. They are in a public place and know that there will be people taking photos, both other locals and tourists with cameras. This makes it a lot easier. Often they will be so engrossed in what they are doing that they will not even notice you.

These people were so caught up in their religious ceremony that they ignored anyone taking photos. This is a big event in the area (northwest Argentina) and there was even media coverage, so they were used to cameras.

Organised Excursions

Organised excursions are a great way of getting some photos of local people. Anybody you visit on the way will be receiving some money from the tour operator and are therefore normally quite happy to be photographed. They often speak English and are very happy to talk about their lives so it is also a good opportunity to learn more about the local culture.

This photo was taken at a hotel that was a stop on an excursion in Nicaragua. The man was quite happy to pose for photos.

Photographing Children

Sadly, in many western cultures photographing children is viewed as a suspicious activity. In third world countries though the attitude is different and quite often no-one seems to mind.

Kids are easy to photograph because they like to play around for the camera and show off. You can get some really good photos. In some places if children see you with a camera they will get excited and ask you to take their photo. This happened to me in Bolivia. The adults did not want to be photographed, but the children loved it.

These kids were playing football in front of a church in Bolivia. When they saw me with my camera they stopped their game, came over to me and asked me to take their photo.

Lens Choice - Telephoto vs. Wide Angle

Use a wide angle lens to get in close to your subject and make them large in the frame while including lots of background. You will definitely need to get permission from your subject for this approach. The beauty of wide angle lenses is that they force you to get close to your subject and communicate with them.

The miner is close to the camera, but because I used a wide angle lens his background is also included.

The opposite approach is to use a telephoto lens to crop out most of the background, leaving just a few clues to give information about the subject. This technique works well if you can find the right balance between blurring the background and showing enough detail to show the viewer the subject's environment. This is a very cinematic technique.

A telephoto lens crops in tight on the woman and her baby, but still includes enough of the surroundings to show them in their environment.

Black and White vs. Colour

Some documentary photographers shoot in black and white because it gives a timeless, evocative feel to their photos. The photos could have been taken a hundred years ago. Colour is a distraction, without it the viewer has to concentrate more on the content.

But sometimes, colour is an important part of the photo, especially if people dress in colourful clothes or the background is very colourful. Colour can also be very emotive.

There is plenty of room for both approaches, and these days with digital you can take all your photos in colour and convert some of them to black and white when you get back home. We have the best of both worlds. But your photos will be more powerful if you think about whether you are shooting in black and white or colour at the time you take the photos. If you decide to shoot in colour, you need to think about how to use the colours in the scene. Maybe you will include lots of bright colours, or concentrate on just one colour.

This photo works in colour because the colours are so strong against the white background.

On the other hand if you are shooting in black and white, you need to pay attention to tonal contrast. The colour does not matter, but the lightness and darkness of the tones in the photo do.

This photo was converted  to black and white because of the tones in the white trousers and poncho stripes.

Bounce Flash

1/125 @ f/5.6, ISO 500, WB Daylight, Small Rogue Flashbender

This technique entails mounting your speedlight on a lightstand and simply bouncing the light off the walls. It works well in enclosed spaces and with low-hanging ceilings. This is great for indoor events such as birthday parties, weddings, cotillions, and etc.

1/125 @ f/5.6, ISO 200, WB Daylight, Photoflex 45” Umbrella

One of the most important tools in your lighting kit is a reflective umbrella, preferably a convertible one. This can work well both indoors and outdoor, especially if your reflective umbrella is made of sturdy material, like carbon fiber. That way, it won’t break in case it falls during a shoot.

1/125 @ f/5.6, ISO 200, WB Daylight, California Sunbounce Micro Mini with Grip Head

The Sunbounce is a little pricey but well worth the money. You can change up the look by moving the Sunbounce around or by flipping it over to the more reflective side. The white side is softer and less contrasty, while the silver is a little harsher.

1/125 @ f/5.6, ISO 200, WB Daylight, Photoflex 45” Umbrella

By simply moving the light and turning your model towards the light, both the model and a little bit of the background are lit up.

1/125 @ f/5.6, ISO 200, WB Daylight, Photoflex 45” Umbrella

Using the same umbrella, collapse it over the light. This compresses the light, creating a very dramatic lighting effect.

1/125 @ f/5.6, ISO 200, WB Daylight, California Sunbounce Micro Mini with Grip Head

Position the reflector at an angle, slightly lowered. This fill light will reflect light onto the bottom of the chin and under the eyes, wrapping the subject in light.

Through an Umbrella

1/125 @ f/5.6, ISO 200, WB Daylight, Bare Head Flash

This creates nice, soft lighting with a drop shadow. This technique is popular for magazine covers and editorials because the light fill in all of the pores, reducing the need for skin correction in post, except for a few minor tweaks. Flat lighting makes post-processing easier.

Over and Under

1/250 @ f/7.1, ISO 200, WB Daylight, Photoflex shoot through umbrella, California Sunbounce Micro Mini with Grip Head

This is another simple setup that you can execute even without the help of assistants.

1/250 @ f/5.6, ISO 200, WB Daylight, Bare head flash, California Sunbounce Micro Mini with Grip Head

For outdoor photoshoots, expect a lot of light to spill. This creates a soft, diffused light that is similar to if you had a wall to bounce the light off of.

1/125 @ f/5.6, ISO 200, WB Daylight, Bare head flash

You’ll see this technique a lot on magazine covers and editorial shoots as well. This creates a very hard drop shadow. The effect created is different from if the flash were to be mounted on your camera’s hotshoe.

Lucky Dip-Imogen Cunningham

Imogen Cunningham was born in Portland, Oregon in 1883. Her father, Isaac Burns Cunningham, named Imogen after the heroine of Shakespeare's Cymberline. He encouraged her to read before she entered school and paid for art lessons every summer.

Imogen Cunningham grew up in Seattle, Washington and attended the University of Washington in Seattle, majoring in chemistry after she was advised by her professor that she should have a scientific background if she wanted to be a photographer. To pay her expenses she worked as a secretary to her chemistry professor and made slides for the botanists. Imogen Cunningham's thesis when she graduated from the University of Washington with a major in chemistry was titled “Modern Processes of Photography.”

After graduation Imogen worked in the Seattle portrait studio of Edward S. Curtis, the photographer who produced the twenty volumes of “The North American Indian.” Here she learned the techniques of platinum printing. In 1909 Imogen's college sorority, Pi Beta Phi, awarded her a grant to study photographic chemistry in Dresden. Her thesis, published in Germany, “Uber Selbstherstellung von Platinpapieren fur braune Tone,” translates to “About Self-Production of Platinum Papers for Brown Tones.” In this paper she urged the use of hand-coated paper for platinum prints, as much more convenient and easier to handle than commercial paper.

Returning from Germany, Imogen opened a portrait studio in Seattle. There, she was the only photographer who was a charter member of the Society of Seattle Artists. Imogen Cunningham exhibited frequently in Seattle, often soft focus photographs of romantic tableaux she and her friends staged. Imogen Cunningham published "Photography as a Profession for Women,” an article urging women to take up careers in the professions. not to outdo men, but to try to do something for themselves. 

In 1914, her first one-person exhibition was held at the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences.

Imogen Cunningham married Seattle etcher, Roi Partridge. Their son, Gryffyd, was born. She closed her studio and moved with Roi to California where their twin sons, Rondal and Padraic, were born. With three young sons and life as a faculty wife, her photography was largely confined to photographing her children and the plants in her garden.

Imogen Cunningham accepted her first commercial assignment after the birth of the twins to photograph the Adolph Bohm Ballet Intime. She also began to make her first sharp focus plant photographs. Imogen Cunningham was included in the Pictorial Photographic Society Exhibition at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco. Imogen made her first double-exposure photograph, a photograph of her hard-working mother with a crown of silver spoons.

Ten of her photographs were exhibited in the prestigious Film and Foto ExhibItion in Stuttgart, Germany. Imogen Cunningham also had a local exhibition at the Berkeley Art Museum. Imogen Cunningham had an exhibition at the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum in San Francisco. Imogen met and photographed the dancer, Martha Graham. After the Graham photographs were published in the December issue of Vanity Fair the editors asked her to take assignments photographing Hollywood personalities. As an original member of Group f.64 she participated in the exhibition at the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum in San Francisco and had a one-person exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum.

Imogen and Roi were divorced. Imogen Cunningham was invited to New York to work for Vanity Fair but she soon returned to California. Imogen Cunningham traveled with Dorothea Lange and Paul Taylor to document a lumber co-operative, beginning a life-long series of what might now be called street photography. Imogen Cunningham worked again in Seattle and had a one-person exhibition at the Dallas Art Museum. A one-person exhibition of her work was shown at the E. B. Crocker Art Gallery in Sacramento, California. Imogen Cunningham began to photograph in color. Her photographs were included in the Photographers Exhibition at Golden Gate International Exposition, Treasure Island, San Francisco.

During the war years she sold her house in Oakland and used a friend's studio and darkroom in San Francisco, preparing for a permanent studio in San Francisco. Imogen established a studio in her home on Green Street in San Francisco. During the next thirteen years her work was exhibited across the country and she continued her street photography work when she was not making portraits. Imogen taught intermittently at the California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco. The International Museum of Photography, at George Eastman House in Rochester, New York, purchased a major retrospective collection of her work. Imogen used the money to travel and photograph in both Western and Eastern Europe. Imogen experimented with Polaroid film. The Library of Congress purchased a collection of her work and the photographic publisher, Aperture, published a monograph of her work.

Imogen Cunningham was elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Arts and Sciences. Imogen Cunningham was awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree by the California College of Arts and Crafts, Oakland. Imogen Cunningham was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship to print from her early negatives. The University of Washington Press published her first book, “Imogen Cunningham: Photographs.” A major exhibition was held at the Witkin Gallery in New York City. The Smithsonian Institution purchased a major collection of her work.

Imogen passed away on June 23, 1976, at the age of 93.

Taken from http://www.imogencunningham.com/page.php?page=about

My improvisation

I improvised on this image using photo-shop as I could not get hold of the flowers as they would have to be imported and would not come with the length as seen in the photograph, and Lillys did not look right. So I set up a similar shot using my step daughter lying on a black cloak and photo-shopped her face in to the original image. This was not as easy as it sounds, as trying to create the same skin tone, and grain as the original was quite a task. It took me about 2 hours to get any where near close, but was a good learning experience.

Album Cover Brief

The brief was to create an album cover that was relevant to a song that meant something to me. I decided to recreate "The Devil Inside" by INXS.I chose this track because it is simply one of my favourite tracks. I wanted to create something a little edgy but typically 80’s. The idea of the cover was to represent our demons inside us, to coincide with the title track, the graffiti on the walls to symbolise confusion in our minds, the devil and angel representing good and bad decisions/choices. The subject has his head in his hands to illustrate frustration and despair. I spent a lot of time using different poses(as seen in contact sheet), but this one worked better creating the tension in the shot.

Post production I used HDR and high pass to give it that very stark contrasting feel, blacking out the doorway and adding the devil and the angel in low opacity to symbolise thoughts in the mind. I tried the angel in various positions but found it best to leave her close but looking at the viewer hopefully symbolising the points “is this you?” or even “can you help?”. The text used was to give it an eerie feel and fitted the concept of horror.

I converted size down to typical CD size including blend

Production

I took my step son to Huncoat Power Station as it is heavily tagged with graffiti. I thought this would make a typicaly cool 80's back drop. The idea was to create a shot of my stepson looking like he had problems. So I set out with a number of different shots using a single speed light for fill in flash as it is quite dark and gloomy. 

In post processing I chose this image to create the album cover.

Looking at the image I wanted to create a punchy feel that also had a bit of drama. In Lightroom 5 I increased the clarity,contrast and shadows. Decreased the highlights and exported to photoshop CS6.

I Photoshop I cloned the doorway to make it black and converted the image to HDR. I then added the devil in the doorway and cloned extra red from the image to fill the doorway to symbolise demons. I then added the angel and reduced the opacity, the angel is looking directly at the viewer to symbolise her saying "is this you or can you help". I downloaded the "Horror" Text and added the album name etc.

I am quite pleased with the results and I enjoyed doing it as it allowed me to be creative with my photography and post production.

The Human Condition-Final Hand in.

The brief was to produce a set of 8 images on people and the human condition, I decided to go for a fine art look to my images, the concept being emotion in portraits, this fits the human condition as it is something we all have in common.
I chose a set of emotions that I could capture well in image using facial expression, using one speedlight, reflector and a speedlight softbox, I tried different lighting angles to create drama to the shots and make them carry impact.
Using my stepson and stepdaughter for models I chose different emotions for each of them and directed the shots accordingly.

Having processed the images in Lightroom 5 and photoshop these are my final images left.

I enjoyed this brief, again on the creative side but also the lighting issues, these shots were shot in my dining room, so it was good to have to really think about lighting and shadows.