How To: Shoot Environmental Portrait Photography

When telling a story with portraits, sometimes it’s best to zoom out. Incorporating elements of the person’s surroundings are majorly impactful when done correctly, and common for documentary and news photographers. Environmental portraits are typically defined as photographs of people that are shot at wider angles, allowing many elements to play a part in defining who they are. They include artist studio, workplace and hospitality industry portraits.

As the photographer, you may have to work with the space and the random activities that occur as people work. Although the person is the main focal point, the world around them becomes just as important to the story.

Read on for tips and tricks when it comes to photographing wide-angle environmental portraits, how to incorporate natural elements such as weather and best practices.

Be Intentional About Lighting

When you are working with wider angles, the lighting sources often grow in number. But make sure to keep your lighting intentional no matter what. If there is window light, overhead lighting and a lamp light or two in the space you're shooting, try to eliminate the overhead lighting and allow the natural light to become more pronounced. Are your lighting sources being used to tell the story? Make sure they all are in environmental portraiture. You should always be in control of the lighting, not the other way around.

Prime lenses and wide-angle zooms are perfect for these types of images. Consider grabbing a 24mm prime lens like the Nikon AF 24mm f/2.8D, Sony FE 24mm f/1.4 GM or the Sigma ART 24mm f/1.4 DG HSM EF, or a wide-angle zoom lens like the Sony E 16-55mm f/2.8 G or the Fujifilm XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS.

You may want to add an artificial fill-light with a strobe or attached flashguns, especially in a space without flattering lighting. The best bet is to diffuse the strobe light with a softbox so the light more naturally fills the space and doesn’t detract from the details in the environment.

Let Details Speak

No matter how tempting it is to use settings that will blur the background behind your subject, consider using a larger aperture number so elements behind and around the subject are easier to identify. Instead of shooting a milky portrait at an aperture of f/1.8, opt for at least an f/4 instead, allowing the background to be more in focus while still letting in ample light.

Utilize a Directional Gaze

Your subject does not have to be centre-of-frame in every portrait, and environmental portraits are a great example of that. Have your subject turned slightly at an angle facing the direction of more space in the frame by the rule of thirds. This gives the viewer a reference of movement, and if the subject is looking off camera, a natural point a and point b for the viewer’s eyes to go. You’re in control of the movement now with framing and gaze.

Another beneficial challenge would be to add movement – if the portrait features a space tucked away from a busy crowd, consider setting the shutter speed to a larger fraction in order to allow the people walking to be motion-blurred, while your subject sits still.

Golden Ratio

A great traditional technique to employ with environmental portraits is the Golden Ratio. The classic spiral gives a pleasing element of movement to any portrait that has a few moving parts to it. As the golden ratio moves from a tight circle at one of the outer third sections of the image, it unwinds to a wider movement, expanding our field of view. It also keeps proportions pleasing and balanced. Think of this as a built-in ride around the journey you’re taking the viewer through.

What’s the Weather Like?

Natural occurrences like mist, rain, sunset light and wind can really bring together portraits when shot outdoors. Utilize these as textures that give another layer of realism to your photograph. How does the weather play into the story, or the identity of your subject? Is it a hot, cold, or temperate climate there? Does it have a natural connection to the way they’re dressed, or more, any symbolism of their life or circumstances? Let the weather guide you through telling the story, and not work against you. Using a weatherproof digital camera kit will give you the freedom to create in any climate. Our top picks for weather-sealed compact cameras are the Leica Q2 and the Fujifilm X100V.

Incorporate Earth

There’s nothing better than natural elements in photography: natural light, living beings, plant textures, and everything in between. Don’t be afraid to fill up your frame with earthly elements when you can. Plants bring directional movement to a frame, colour, and a story of their own. If you are telling stories of climate change or vegan cooking, for example, don’t be afraid to set your subject in their most natural habitat and capture the natural world as they exist in it.