Environmental portrature (C&C)

[Snakeguy101]

Over the next week I have to get 10 good environmental portraits of random things. Not a whole lot of rules for this assignment just that you can't use the same person twice and it cannot look posed and you must use natural lighting only. Let me know how I did. Thanks!

1

2

3

4

5

I am still working on getting more but these were some of the best from today.

 

[reedshots]

looks like you are getting some great shots

 

[tirediron]

The images are fine, but what environment(s) are you showing? The girl in #s 1 and 5 looks awfully similar....

 

[Snakeguy101]

yeah, the girl in 1 and 5 is the same, I can't decide which one I like better though. As for the environment, I don't have to show a lot of it, just enough so that you know it's not posed or in a studio.

 

[Christie Photo]

Your second view doesn't place your subject into an environment.

Interesting assignment. I wonder what the thinking is about not looking posed. Hmmm....

You're off to a good start.

I'm thinking:
artist in studio (sound or visual art)
exec in office
minister in church
teacher in classroom
doc/nurse in ER
paramedic in/near ambulance
woodworker with project
researcher in lab
farmer in field or with combine

I don't know if this is what he's looking for. I might flunk this one.

-Pete

 

[Snakeguy101]

Thank you pete. Here is what he told us to do straight from the syllabus, maybe it will help...

"Combine the depth of field, motion, design,
and lighting techniques discussed to produce descriptive and evocative portraits. Photograph several different people and expose several frames for each session. Try photographing at least one person you don't know to experience learning how to ask for a portrait and how to establish a rapport with your subject. You can simply settle for the expression your subject decides to give you but you can also attempt to bring out what you see. Communicate with your model. Be specific in your requests. Take time with them. It will be fairly easy to come up with 10 photos of people, but will they be portraits? Will they contain the visual elements necessary to create telling images of human emotion? NO group portraits."

 

[Christie Photo]

Here is what he told us to do straight from the syllabus, maybe it will help...

Thanks! That clears things up quite a bit.

With that in mind, I think where you need the most work is incorporating "lighting techniques discussed." I of course don't know what has been discussed, but I don't see any real lighting scheme in any of these.

Good luck!

-Pete

 

[Snakeguy101]

unfortunately, we are not allowed to use flash either so there is not much lighting technique and he never really discussed it (we don't really have a great teacher which is why I often come here for help instead)...


Anyways, I was wondering if I could get some good critiques on these. Don't be shy, I can take a hit.

 

[Village Idiot]

The girl in number one is OOF. In number two, you have a green cast from the lights. My guess is that you were shooting under flourescents.

 

[brdy]

Dont forget the eyes in at least some of your portraits ...I think your brief it mentions something about "establishing a rapport with your subject " I reckon well focused eyes in portraits aways captivate the viewer and anchor the subjects expression what ever that expression may be. Only one that does it for me and tells some sort of story is old dude in chair.

 

[rlemert]

#4 is by far your strongest, and I like the concept of #2 (but would probably have tried to get it a bit lighter - not much, but a bit). The others look too posed for my taste, and I'm sure the girl in #1 and #5 is also the one in #3.

 

[kundalini]

When I hear the term "environmental portrait" I think of a greater expanse of an image than you are showing..... a wider focal length. Take the girl in #1, had you changed your PoV and stood further back to get a larger image of the grafitti wall that also captured her in full length, that would be more of my interpretation.