

- #Environmental portraiture photographers how to#
- #Environmental portraiture photographers professional#
#Environmental portraiture photographers how to#
Then consider how to put people in that environment so they stand out and are the dominant part of the photograph. Start by looking for a beautiful scene that holds significance to the subjects, suggests MacGregor.

Everyone in a family group should be equally showcased (unless you’re intentionally minimizing attention to something per the subject’s request). Depth is good, but when you place people in too many different planes, some will appear much larger and others much smaller. When everyone is mashed together, they appear less like individuals and more like stems protruding from a bunch. This detracts from the depth of the image and makes people appear too stiff, as if they’re in a police lineup.ĭon’t clump subjects. Try not to put two heads side by side on the same level. Consider horizontal planes so not everyone is standing in the same line and compressing depth in the portrait.Īvoid lining up heads. Triangles and diagonal lines are extremely powerful for compositional design. Consider the setting, the subjects, and how to design a composition that accomplishes your objective for the image. People should appear comfortable and relatable while portrayed in a flattering way.
#Environmental portraiture photographers professional#
Pros need to design images for their clients, composing a piece that tells a story while meeting the professional standards for a good photograph.

“It’s hard to get paid top dollar for something that looks like people could do on their own,” says Don MacGregor, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, API. Polished, professional portraits? Not necessarily. Still, many images looked like snapshots. The good ones would know the value of photographing during the magic hour and employ posing and composition techniques to increase the quality of the images. Photographers with even limited experience could take a family to a park, sit them in a scenic spot, and fire away. Working outsideĪt one time, environmental portraits were seen as an easy entry point into professional portrait photography. Don MacGregor will speak at Imaging USA 2020.
