ENVIRONMENTAL COMPOSITION
Create balanced images with a clear focus
The reason the seamless studio background is a well-established part of many portrait shoots is because of how well it controls where viewers place their attention. The subject’s eyes should always be the clear focal point, as this is where we feel most comfortable looking when interacting with another person in real life. Looking someone in the eye conveys trustworthiness and likeability, so if you want your audience to engage emotionally with the subject of an image, direct them here.
A white, black or chroma background is effective at creating negative space – it complements foreground elements without drawing too much interest. Therefore, when we take our subject on location, we must work harder to retain this simplicity.
An environmental portrait works when all of the elements say something about the subject, which is still the reason the image was made. Significant thought must go into selecting a location in which to shoot a person’s portrait because it needs to make visual sense. For the same reason, we need to consider which details should make the final cut and which need to be excluded.
A busy backdrop that either has too many details or too many colours vying for attention is a bit like having the band play louder than the lead singer. Not only does it reduce the impact of the subject’s gaze, but it also looks wrong, negatively defying viewer expectations and creating a sense of discomfort.
A good practice is to use the match and reduce system. Light intensity, colour saturation, detail frequency or density and variability of all of these properties should always be less than found on and around the subject. This is what creates separation. We can also control background presence through the relative size of objects, adjusted using focal length for compression.