Environmental Portraiture

A large part of my work is photographing people in their local context, resulting in what I like to call ‘environmental portraiture’. Some of the techniques I use are:

1. While most of my portraits have been of single subjects, I currently prefer adding a second person into an image to add a new layer to the subject matter. The image is no longer just about one person and his/her environment, and the viewers of the photo begin to speculate about the subjects’ relationship with each other, to the immediate environment and to their surroundings. A whole story plot can emanate from such images. Phil Borges is particularly adept at this technique, with a main protagonist in the photograph taking center stage, and another person in the background adding depth to the visual scene.

2. When opting for a single person portrait and realizing that the background doesn’t add much to the image’s context, I try to get as close as possible to fill the frame. On the other hand, if the background is relevant or complementary to the portrait, and isn’t distracting, I pull back.

3. The choice between candid (or natural) portraiture and posed photography is determined by the situation in which I find myself. If the circumstances allow it, I try to do both with the same subject. On my photo expeditions or when photographing solo, I frequently set up extended photo shoots, and although this goes against the grain for some travel photographers, I found that it allows my images to tell a story about the persons I photograph. During these photo shoots, I have the opportunity of establishing a rapport with my subjects, put them at their ease, interview them and record their voices along with any ambient sound. This gives me the raw material I need for the production of multimedia stories.

Joyce Birkenstock

Joyce Birkenstock is a remarkable artist and photographer, and a peripatetic international traveler who has visited most countries of the world. She received her training at the University of Dallas, the University of Iowa, the Norton Art School, the Art Students League, and the Vermont Studio Center, and her awards, achievements and professional affiliations are too many to list here. Her artist's statement on her website includes this: "I feel a human connection with the people I paint, and while I may never see them again, I have become a part of them and they have become a part of me."

She traveled on most of my photo expeditions, and the picture above is one of her exquisite paintings made during the photo expedition The Temples of People of Angkor Wat, which I organized and led in February 2006.

Verdict: The Holiday & Travel Show

Well, I did drop by the London Travel Show in Earl’s Court. The exhibitors included every travel-related business operating in the United Kingdom, from Audley Travel Group to World Expeditions. Hundreds of travel operators offering travel packages, adventure and specialty tours, along with tourism boards and vendors of travel gear, were all represented there. Heidi Laughton, a photographer friend here in London, joined me in attending a Beyond the Lens lecture in the hall. It was moderated by photographers Paul Goldstein (Exodus), Ariadne Van Zanderberger of Bradt, and Steve Davey. The lecture was a ho-hum affair with nothing more than superficial discussions on the current travel photography industry in the UK....but let's face it, it was free.

The short listed submissions in the Travel Photo of the Year competition (run jointly by the Independent newspaper and Wanderlust) were exhibited. Heidi’s submission was a lovely black and white photograph of street urchins in China.

I came out of the show with a handful of handsomely printed travel catalogs. The quality of the printing of some of these catalogs surpass anything I've seen in the United States. Audley Travel's glossy catalogs with superb photography, as an example, really stand out. Many of the well-known UK and European travel and stock photographers, such as Paul Goldstein, Steve Allen, Peter Langer, Toby Sinclair and Mario Pozzi, are credited for photographs on the Audley catalogs.