Darryl

Monique

I love environmental portraits. to me making them work is a achieving a balance. You want the background interesting enough to tell you something about the person but you do not want the background to take away from the subject. Pay attention to lighting and look for a background that sneds a message about what they do or where they live or something about thier personality. If the person is goth you can take thier portrait in a graveyard. A cook doing work in a steamy kitchen would be another example. The CEO in focus in front of a board table of other suits that is out of focus but still recognizable. A football player on the field in sharp focus with other players maybe htting the sleds in fost focus behind them A zookeeper or petshop owner in the workplace holding one of the animals. And the list goes on and on

Remember though these are still portraits not candids. Think about proper posing. Good lighting and using light modifiers like reflectors and strobes as neeeded