Environmental Portrait Project

Now that you have brainstormed a few people you might want to take environmental portraits of, choose at least one person from that list. Your job is to create 3 images of those people (all 3 images can be of the same or different people).

In your images, focus on trying to tell a story using your composition and lighting. Your image should not simply be a picture of that person smiling; it should tell a story about what that person is like, or what his or her life looks like. Remember, portraits are simply pictures of a person. Environmental portraits are pictures of that person's story.

When you have taken 3 pictures you like, edit them in lightroom and submit them to your website next to your unedited photos.

Underneath each of your 3 photos, write 3-5 sentences answering the following questions:

1. 1. Why did you choose to photograph this person? What story are you trying to tell in this image? How does this image characterize your chosen person, or in other words, what impression of that person do you want your viewers to receive?

   2. What kind of mood were you going for in this image? How did you use lighting, color, and composition to create that mood? 

   3. How does your chosen pose and environment further emphasize your chosen mood/narrative?

Editing (25 Points)

1. 1. Student has edited all 3 images

   2. The edits enhance the image rather than detract from it. It does not look overedited or artificial.

   3. Image has been cropped effectively to aid in the overall composition

Composition (25 Points)

1. 1. The composition is visually well balanced. It does not feel too heavy on one side or another

   2. Clearly employs a variety of compositional elements and principles (such as framing, rule of thirds, etc.) to enhance the image

   3. The composition helps lead the viewers eye around the page

   4. The photographer has successfully "filled the frame," or in other words, has only included the most important parts of the image and eliminated any unnecessary distracting elements.

Storytelling (25 Points)

1. 1. Image immediately conveys a certain mood (happy, sad, lonely, etc.) to the viewer

   2. The viewer quickly gets a sense of the subject's life and personality just by looking at the image

   3. The environment and pose of the model create a clear narrative scenario. The model is not simply smiling into the camera.

Descriptions (25 Points)

1. 1. The student answers all three questions thoroughly, and shows that they have put a lot of thought into their images and how they composed them.