Environmental portraits go beyond just showing your subject's face. They incorporate details in the background and foreground of the photograph to explore the personality or location of your subject.

The most basic form of an environmental portrait is a photograph of a person in their place of work. A painter in the studio. The mayor in his/her office. A teacher photographed in the classroom. The subject is typically a smaller part of the frame than other types of portraits, allowing for space for these other elements of content that tell us where we are and what the subject does.

A good environment portrait takes all of the following into consideration:

Background and Foreground

The background and foreground of an environmental portrait are excellent spaces to include visual information. You may find yourself including elements that would otherwise seems distracting, but in the environmental portrait these distractions are actually providing information. You are trying to put someone in an environment, so don't be afraid to fill the image with information.

This photograph of a woman painting is the perfect example of background and foreground use. Notice how the elements in the background and foreground are slightly blurred by the shallow depth of field. The information is there, with the environment of the art class surrounding the subject. But it isn't sharp enough to distract you from her. Everything around her only adds to the theme, telling the story to the viewer.

Telling the Story

An environmental portrait doesn't have to be a posed situation. All of my examples on this page were candid moments that were photographed in environmental portrait fashion.

In the following example I'm looking to show my subject, a man living as a hobo.

As you can see in the photo above, I've included details around the edges of the frame to show the subject's meager home. You see him, but you also see the environment that he lives in. By placing him off-center the viewer's eye is drawn across the frame, taking in the various details of the scene. As with any good environmental portrait, you are instantly aware of who this man is and how he lives.

Posing

In my work I try to refrain from posing my subjects. I figure that by not giving them instruction I'm more likely to capture their natural personalities. But you might have a different approach. You may find it preferable to pose your subjects so that you get exactly the look you're after. Or you may simply run into a case where some direction is needed.

Here are a few simple options in a portrait situation that might help: First, try having the subject look straight into the camera. Second, try having the subject look off to the left or right. And third, trying having the subject look up, right over the camera. All three options will provide a different look. If you're not sure which is best, shoot all three and pick your favorite after the fact.