WHAT IS AN ENVIRONMENTAL PORTRAIT?

Environmental portraits are photos of a single person or small group in their natural surroundings that tell a story. They may be formal, intimate, whimsical, or completely spontaneous. Some subjects pick a personal object or tool; some just get lost in thought.

My job is to have the camera ready when the moment is right. I use minimal-to-no lighting equipment, relying often on natural light to give a more journalistic feel. Environmental portraits can be composed or captured and used for commercial or editorial purposes. They work best as part of a photo essay, or they are one way to capture an organization’s team/staff portraits.

One thing to note is that ideally these shots are more composed. While documentary project environments typically make these shots more rushed, it is ideal to have extra time to set up the surroundings and get the subject comfortable before photographing begins. Below are some examples of quick setups/shots.