environmental portraits
Design
In order for the photographer to reveal the connection between the subject and the environment
the photographer must carefully position or frame the two elements together. Vantage point,
cropping and choice of scale become critical factors in the design. The relationship and connection
between foreground and background becomes a major design consideration for an environmental
portrait.
Format
The choice of vertical or horizontal framing and the placement of the subject within the frame
will affect the quantity of environmental information that can be viewed in the resulting image. A
centrally placed subject close to the camera will marginalize the environmental information. This
framing technique is more diffi cult to utilize but should not be ruled out for creating successful
environmental portraits. Using the portrait format for environmental portraits usually requires the
photographer to move further back from the subject so that background information is revealed.
ACTIVITY 2
Find two environmental portraits that demonstrate the different ways a photographer has framed
the image to alter meaning or content. Discuss the photographer’s vantage point, use of scale,
depth of fi eld and subject placement in all of the images.Orien Harvey