People and A Sense of Place – Musings on Environmental Portraits

One of the most useful skills a photographer can have is the ability to convey a sense of place to the viewer. This is particularly true for the travel photographer. For the professional, the photos are often required to sell a destination or illustrate a story. For the amateur, it might be to wow family and friends back home. What both have in common is the need to engage the viewer.

Tibetan cooks stand around a large vat of Tibetan butter tea, Bodhgaya, India. 2002

Like a story, a photograph can be considered successful if the viewer finds affinity with the subject matter. Conversely, apathy suggests that there’s nothing to draw the viewer in and engage their attention. As such, a photo which leaves the viewer feeling a sense of aloofness may be considered unsuccessful. One key way to draw the viewer’s attention is through travel portraiture, particularly the environmental portrait.

It’s often said that it’s the people you meet that make travel so special, and this is especially true in travel photography. For all the wonder that a beautiful sunrise, ancient ruin or stunning natural vista might evoke, nothing engages the viewer like a well executed portrait. Images of people can cut across the boundaries, bridge the differences and give us an insight into the lives of others, in ways that serve to remind us that people everywhere are essentially the same. Capturing a person in such a way is not always an easy task. Unlike candid photography, portrait photography implies a relationship of some kind between the photographer and the subject. This need not be a posed photograph (and many would argue it should not be, particularly a stiffly posed, expressionless subject), but instead the subject may at least be aware of the photographers presence. In this regard, the image becomes more of a collaborative effort where the subject seems less like a random stranger and more like a companion.

When we think of people photography, what often comes to mind are things like facial features, dress, makeup and posture. To the travel photographer in particular, the surroundings are just as vital in revealing the identity of the subject and establishing the sense of place. Items such as works of art, tools, religious artifacts, food and the wider location all assist in creating the essence of being there that we should be aiming to achieve in the viewer. So the question becomes, how does one achieve this?

Fruit vendor at work. Hanoi, Vietnam. 2003

For many, people photography is hard. For many travelers, people photography is the most difficult part of the journey. Having to deal with issues of language, customs, faux-pas and shyness just adds to the difficulty. In an ideal world, spending time in an area, getting to know people and creating a sense of comfort will be all it takes to be able to create images that convey the experience. In reality however, this is often not possible. When traveling we often find ourselves having to move quickly, thinking on our feet as we rush, or are rushed, from place to place.

Perhaps the most obvious point, but one which is often overlooked, is to know your camera. While you may not be able to do anything about the language barrier, or the crowds, or the weather, your camera is something you can and should take the time to master (or at least be familiar with) before you get anywhere near your destination or location. Knowing which settings to use, whether to make it a vertical or horizontal orientation, where to stand and so forth are all important steps you can take before approaching the subject. Nothing spells disaster more than fiddling with camera settings while you have a ready and willing subject.

Crucial to the successful environmental portrait is a connection. Connection between the photographer and subject, as well as the viewer. Sneaking around and trying to furtively take the photo kills any chance of a connection. Instead, a friendly, open manner on the part of the photographer will go a long way to establishing the all important initial connection with the subject.

Once we have established this initial connection, we have a lot more freedom to work. Unlike frame-filling portraiture where a medium telephoto lens is often used, environmental portraiture usually sees the photographer employ a wide angle lens. This allows us to move in very close and shoot both the person and their surroundings. Additionally, the shorter focal length allows us to handhold the camera at longer exposure times meaning we can use greater depth of field. This is often important because the surroundings are integral to the image and we may want everything to be in sharp focus.

The relationship between the person and the surroundings is all important. Objects that are close to the person and sharply focused often gives a sense of connectedness. There’s an intimacy within the photograph, a suggestion that the particular objects and the person are closely bound. The reverse is also true. Distance and/or shallow depth of field may convey a feeling of separation, or even alienation. As a photographer, how you position yourself in relation to the elements in the frame as well as the way you arrange them and the settings you choose to shoot with, is important in getting your vision across to the viewer. Your goal is to get the sense of connectedness between you and the subject across to the viewer and make them feel equally connected.

A slightly bored Indian banana-wallah. To me, this is an example of an image that lacks connectedness. Varanasi, India. 1997

Next time you’re out with your camera, or away on some travels, keep these ideas in mind and you’ll find that you come back with much stronger photographs as a result. Let me know any thoughts, ideas and successes you may have on the subject.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 28th, 2009 at 06:00. It is filed under Learn, Musings and tagged with tutorial. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.