I did a bunch of shooting this weekend as the last days of summer draw closer. Im also trying out some new post processing actions in PS CS3. I now have a custom mix of actions which smooths skin, corrects color, reduces noise and sharpens, then spits of a black and white jpeg file.
To me, an environmental portrait has elements in the foreground and background that support the subject; the "environment" in which the subject is imaged is integral and directly related to the subject.
For example....
A Doctor being photographed in his/her examining room.
A boxer being photographed in the ring.
A teacher in a classroom......et al....
I don't agree with the OP's definition of "Environment as in outside of a controlled situation like a studio". I'd call the original image an "outside portrait".......
For a long time, the term "environmental portrait" was used to refer to a portrait that showed a person in "their" environment - involved in there work, working at their hobby, - someone in their own millieu. If we start using it to mean any non-studio portrait what will we call the ones we used to call environmental portraits?
mradventure, I"m not having trouble with it but apparently you do. Look at those after you. They understand it very well, and explain it much better than I could.
pilles wrote:
mradventure, I"m not having trouble with it but apparently you do. Look at those after you. They understand it very well, and explain it much better than I could.
People are having a problem with your definition because an environmental portrait is a portrait which shows people in an environment that defines them. Just because your photos is outside and not in a studio does not mean it is environmental. It tells no story at all, and that's what an environmental portrait does. I don't understand why you are taking offense to people questioning your definition, especially when it is wrong. You took a standard portrait, not an environmental portrait.
People are having a problem with your definition because an environmental portrait is a portrait which shows people in an environment that defines them. Just because your photos is outside and not in a studio does not mean it is environmental. It tells no story at all, and that's what an environmental portrait does. I don't understand why you are taking offense to people questioning your definition, especially when it is wrong. You took a standard portrait, not an environmental portrait.
Well I count two people with a problem with the definition out of 300 views...i'm no stickler for definitions so call it what you like :-)
MrAdventure wrote:
I kinda liked the picture, did you?
The photo is ok, just a standard portrait. The only thing different is that you did some post processing that I don't really feel worked. Her skin is just weird to me, her chest is so dark, but I don't know if that's something you had anything to do with it.
One of the problems is, I came in thinking I was going to see a storytelling image since you titled it Environmental Portrait, when in fact it's not. No one here is really getting on you, we are just letting you know that your definition is wrong. The point of this forum is to help and we are trying by telling you your definition is wrong, but you keep throwing it out the window. I have the feeling those 300+ views haven't replied because they were let down because they were expecting a storytelling image also...
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. The term is most frequently used of a genre of photography.
By photographing a person in their natural surroundings, it is thought that you will be able to better illuminate their character, and therefore portray the essence of their personality, rather than merely a likeness of their physical features. It is also thought that by photographing a person in their natural surroundings, the subject will be more at ease, and so be more conducive to expressing themselves, as opposed to in a studio, which can be a rather intimidating and artificial experience.[1]
The Background in Environmental Portraits
The surroundings or background is a key element in environmental portraiture, and is used to convey further information about the person being photographed.
Where it is common, in studio portraiture and even in location cadid photography, to shoot using a shallow depth of field, thereby throwing the background out of focus, in environmental portraiture the background is an integral part of the image. Indeed, smaller apertures and more depth of field is commonly used in this type of photography.
Details in the surroundings
While it is often true that the background may dominate the subject, this need not necessarily be so. In fact, the details that convey the message from the surroundings can often be quite small, and still be significant.The key seems to be in the symbolism expressed by various elements in the background, for instance, a baseball cap may not tell you much about your subject, but a chef's hat gives you a lot more detail about who he is and what he does.
geez good thing I didn't type "hi-Key"....we would be at this all week!