Environmental Portrait
Posted May 26, 2021, 3:48 PM UTC
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I am not used to doing portraits, but I want to start branching out and helping tell the stories of rural Minnesota. I wanted to include the truck and some of the old building, but I wonder if the shot is too wide? Like I say, I never do portraits, but I am wondering from an environmental/documentary standpoint, does this photo hold its own? The shadows could be lifted more but I think it's more about the whole image and not so much about the faces being perfect. Would love to hear your thoughts.
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I agree with you, the shot is too wide. It’s definitely a balancing act of how much context to give while also focusing on the person. Also the guy on the right is just smiling like a regular photo, really takes away from the emotional depth. Guy on the left has a natural, almost curious expression that in return makes me curious about him. Also the editing is a little flat, especially with that white Sky and white building behind them. If it were me I’d darken those areas to try and draw more focus to our two subjects.
Things I like are yer man here on the left. Cocked, beaten hat, a more natural facial expression, doesn’t look too posed. That decal on the front of the truck is absolute gold. I like the black and white choice.
Overall I like this photo and think you’ve done a good job with it. There’s definitely elements that tell a story which is the hardest part about these kind of portraits, so well done. I just think there’s some distracting bits that I laid out above that take away from it being a complete 10/10.
Edit: going through your prior posts, and as someone who lives in Michigan, I really dig your work. Glad to see you incorporating people into the story, I think you’re going to produce some really compelling stuff. Do you have environmental portrait photogs you follow or are inspired by?
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That's good advice. I appreciate it. As an architecture guy for the most part I was paying a lot of attention to the window at the left of the frame to make sure it was "lined up", which in turn probably distracted me from the finer points. I do 99% of my work in black and white, so that was just how I rolled. I can play with the editing but I take a very minimal approach to editing normally. I didn't ask them to pose or do anything, just to stand by the truck so I could get a photo. I wanted the expressions to be natural and the smiling guy was very upbeat and fun to talk to, so the fact that he's smiling definitely fits his personality, but you can't know that from a glance at a photo.
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Yeah looking through your other stuff it seems like you prefer a high-key look. I’ll be interested to see what comes next!
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I like texture and shadow detail. Most of my work is shot in midday light as that's basically the only time it's convenient for me to shoot. I've been trying lately to change my process a bit and embrace the dark blacks/shadows more and care less about having maximum dynamic range. It's tough sometimes lol.
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i think the wide angle adds to the story, like from this i can tell they probably live out in a more rural area and maybe run a lumber business. perhaps you can try playing more with depth of field in the future? it might give you some more to play with. right now it’s all in focus and a little flat
Makes sense. It was so off the cuff and not what I’m used to i didn’t think about it. I use a Fuji X100F and it’s kind of soft wide open, but normally I would consider running a wider aperture. Normally I’m doing architecture/exteriors so my camera never leaves f/8! Thanks for the advice. And yes, very rural and it is a lumber company! I took another portrait of the owner in the shop but didn’t post that one.