Environmental portrait ideas

[malross]

Hi all,

One of my mates who's quite into his photography has offered to take an environmental portrait of me, with the environmental aspect being me, my car and driving on the back roads. Which is kind of cool of him.

Thing is, I'm struggling to come up with a good way of combining those things. To really show me in my element, I'd have to be driving at the time. If I were driving, however, the chances of getting a well set-up portrait are slim to say the least (he's not got a rig for the car or anything daft like that).

Can anyone think of any good ideas that wouldn't look too unnatural? Or perhaps any types of backdrop that would work well for static shots?

Cheers,

Mal.

[malc350]

Portrait doesn't necessarily mean face-on as such. E.g. your mate could be in the back seat, taking a photo over your shoulder with the speedo needle and rev counter needles pinned to their respective stops...(er if you were on an autobahn, that is...

Malc

[Simpo Two]

'Environmental'? This isn't going to end up as a 'see the reckless motorist destroying the countryside with global warming' shot I hope?!

[ThatPhilBrettGuy]

I still can't work out what an environmental portrait is. Your mate's an arty type I assume?

[malross]

Hehe.

It's none of the eco-mentalism stuff. An environmental portrait is
"a portrait executed in the subject's usual environment, such as in their home or workplace, and typically illuminates the subject's life and surroundings". At least, it is according to wikipedia, that is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_portrai...

My mate's just looking to broaden his skills and I'm just looking to get a good photo out of him.

I like the needles-to-max idea, but suspect we might have to Photoshop them into position afterwards. Oh, and my lack of back seats might be an issue (got a 350Z).

Mal.

Edited by malross on Friday 19th December 11:59

[AndWhyNot]

The main issue is going to be how wide his lens goes. The two below were taken wide at 10mm. I was experimenting t'other day with my 50mm but you lose a lot of the environmental aspect. Inspiration?

Passat R36:


306 GTi-6:


Or check out the rest of my, er, environmental portraits for a bit of variety (and frequent changes of cars)

ETA - top one was tripod in the car (check all three mirrors); bottom one was home-made rig that cost under a tenner

Edited by AndWhyNot on Friday 19th December 20:43

[malross]

Nice. Not sure I'd trust my mate's camera to a home-made rig of my making, mind...

Mal.

[martinmac]

Can you wait until next years Hoon.

[malross]

Hi Martin,

Not sure I can -- we're heading out for shots between Xmas and New Year -- but I'll still be attending the Hoon.

I take it Adam will be popping along again?

Mal.

[malross]

For anyone interested, we didn't do any in-car, or in-motion, shots in the end. Just drove out over the Pennines, past Alston on the A686. And as it was last-minute, we had no more of a plan than to catch the rapidly setting sun. Consequently, there was bugger all time to set anything up and we also struggled with numb hands in the sub-zero-before-windchill conditions.


Click here for full-size photo on Flickr

The ham-fisted gradient on the top of that image is all my own doing, btw. As is the rather tight cropping (needed to maintain the aspect ratio on my desktop).

Regardless, I like the quality of the late sunlight and the way that the car looks nice and... *ahem*... matt in its winter livery a.k.a. salt. It's an honest photo, which I guess is what environmental portraits are all about. Hell, I'm even struggling to smile, what with the loss of sensation in my face.

No doubt we'll be back out again sometime, but this'll have to do for now.

Mal.

[Simpo Two]

Okey doke, so it's a photo of a car, in an environment - which must be the posh word for background - am I getting warm?

[malross]

Simpo Two said:

Okey doke, so it's a photo of a car, in an environment - which must be the posh word for background - am I getting warm?

You know... it's embarrassing to admit this, but you're right. You're taking the piss, but you're right. It IS just a photo. Of a car. Somewhere. I'm a bit of an arse, really, aren't I?

But then... it was intended as a photo of *me*, not of the car. In that respect, the environment is the car and the great outdoors. Maybe I'm not *that* much an arse. Granted, it would've been more obviously an environmental portrait if a larger part of the photo had me in it and if I were actually *doing* something. As it stands, it's a pretty standard car photo. With a chump on the extremities. Hey ho.

Lesson learned: keep trying. :-/

Mal.

Edited by malross on Monday 5th January 21:27

Edited by malross on Monday 5th January 21:29

[andy-xr]

And a pole

[malross]

andy-xr said:

And a pole

Aye, but it's a nice pole. As poles go, I reckon that's one of my favourites. Maybe even in the top 3.

Mal.

[Simpo Two]

malross said:

You know... it's embarrassing to admit this, but you're right. You're taking the piss, but you're right.

I try only to post correct stuff and not wrong stuff. I don't always succeed but am getting better

malross said:

It IS just a photo. Of a car. Somewhere.

But it's quite a nice photo. I also like the fact you selected 'hamfisted' from the pulldown menu rather than 'lambfisted', 'beeffisted' and 'venisonfisted'

malross said:

I'm a bit of an arse, really, aren't I? But then... it was intended as a photo of *me*, not of the car. In that respect, the environment is the car and the great outdoors. Maybe I'm not *that* much an arse. Granted, it would've been more obviously an environmental portrait if a larger part of the photo had me in it and if I were actually *doing* something. As it stands, it's a pretty standard car photo. With a chump on the extremities. Hey ho. Lesson learned: keep trying. :-/

Actually, if you just dumped the word 'environmental' everything would be back to normal. Bloke plus car in a field. Nothing wrong with that; in fact somewhere in my collection is the Young Simpo doing much the same thing leaning on the bonnet of a Talbot Sunbeam... Of course [Alan Bennett mode on] we didn't have newfangled 'hamfisted' backgrounds in them days, only graduated tobacco filters... so yes, I came this way in 1985 before the environment was invented

[malross]

Simpo Two said:

Actually, if you just dumped the word 'environmental' everything would be back to normal.

Out of interest, what would constitute an environmental portrait for you? I was under the impression it was a common term in photography, but you seem to be rejecting it -- or is that just in the case of this photo?

Mal.

[Simpo Two]

malross said:

Out of interest, what would constitute an environmental portrait for you? I was under the impression it was a common term in photography, but you seem to be rejecting it -- or is that just in the case of this photo?

I've never heard of the term before. I suspect it's a modern invention by media types eager to use the word 'environment', but stand to be corrected. Where did you encounter this term and did anybody explain it to you?

[malross]

It was my mate (taking the photos) who introduced me to it; gave me loads of links to examples on the web, but that wikipedia page is the only one I've kept a note of.

Mal.

[Simpo Two]

malross said:

that wikipedia page is the only one I've kept a note of.

'An environmental portrait is a portrait executed in the subject's usual environment, such as in their home or workplace, and typically illuminates the subject's life and surroundings.'

OK, I see the angle - but that field is not your usual home or workplace!

[malross]

Simpo Two said:

malross said:

that wikipedia page is the only one I've kept a note of.

'An environmental portrait is a portrait executed in the subject's usual environment, such as in their home or workplace, and typically illuminates the subject's life and surroundings.'

OK, I see the angle - but that field is not your usual home or workplace!

LOL. True, but I think the definition's meant to extend to the subject's hobbies as well. Admittedly, not in that citation, but elsewhere I've read about it. Basically, the environment's intended as anywhere where you feel most comfortable and in your element i.e. as opposed to in a studio, or posing unnaturally (note to self: score minus marks for lame, propped-against-a-fence, blatantly posing, pose).

Mal.