Portraiture: Exploring settings, backgrounds, locations

What is a good setting for a portrait and how important is it to include the surroundings in your image?

There is always a choice between leaving the background out, playing it down by opening up the aperture and making it part of the image to help tell the story. My view is that it usually depends on the context and how much the background and the location are part of the narrative. Recently I had a discussion with the Communications team of East Anglian Air Ambulance about some suitable settings and backgrounds for the photos of their staff and volunteers. It was clear that the volunteers themselves preferred to be photographed in front of the helicopters and the Comms Team said this kind of background helps to make the images stand out more and convey the story. After looking at some images in their publicity materials, I could not agree more with this view.

Where a background does not represent an important part of a story, it might be helpful to select more of a neutral scene that does not district attention. A well chosen neutral background helps to focus on the main subject, manage the contrast and could event bring out the colours and tones of the portrait.
Needless to say, there are many settings and backgrounds that could be used effectively for a portrait. Being a photographer at heart, I see them everywhere as I go about my life - on daily basis and regardless  whether I have my camera with me or not.

One of the exercises suggested in the OCA course People and Places is about finding out a number of such backgrounds whilst also thinking about the most suitable focal length, lighting and camera position. I wanted to make this task a little more challenging for myself so I decided to see just what I can find in a small confined area.

Last week I found myself near a small park in Adare, Ireland with my camera and a half an hour to spear. I thought I would see if I could find some suitable backgrounds but also look out for those that would not be a good example.

Here are some of the backgrounds that I  found there.

The park in Adare was small but very well kept so it was a pleasure to have a walk around the area. The day was cloudy and the ground was quite wet but at least it wasn't raining.

Thinking of a suitable location for a portrait, my first focus was on the garden benches dotted around the area. The first reason for choosing them is that my subject would be more relaxed and comfortable sitting rather than standing (as long as the bench isn't wet of course!). This might also give me more time to, what people call 'fiddle with my camera' - or to put it in a nicer way, prepare to the shot.
I thought that this particular bench (below) would be a good setting as it back onto a bush serving as a natural and consistent in colour backdrop. Bearing in mind that this choice of backdrop colour might not be so suitable for someone with a darker skin, assuming I am about to photograph an Irish person here in Adare this should provide a good setting. The light on the day was good for portraiture as the sun was behind the clouds. The light wasn't completely flat as we can see some shadows under the bench but there were no harsh shadows from the direct sun.  
Photo 1

This setting and background would be suitable for a full body portrait as well as torso and closer crop. I prefer to keep the bench slightly at an angle as I think it creates much better dynamics and movement within the picture. I would open up the aperture to blur the background if I were to go for a closer crop. This way the focus would remain on the subject.

Having found one suitable bench setting I decided to study the rest of them to see how different angels and settings can vary the outcomes.  This bench would make a more challenging setting for a portrait. Because there is no solid and consistent background behind it, a lot would depend on the camera angle to make it work as a portrait setting. For example, positioning the camera slightly higher would give a more of a solid and consistent background but might not portray the person from a suitable angle ('looking down on someone' isn't always the best position for a general portrait). Depending on the subject, the first photo (below, with the bird, flags and street light) might be an interesting setting that 'tells the story.' It is taken with a standard lens and might be suitable for a full body portrait. 

Photo 2

Photo 3

My next bench again has a good solid and consistent in tone background behind it - in fact it is so close to 18% Grey that it would be easy for the camera meter to make the right choice of the exposure setting. I set my zoom lens to 100 just to make sure that a nearby bin isn't included in the picture. The surrounding area is clean so nothing would distract the attention.  

Photo 4

I played with the camera angles to see the best camera point of view. My preference would be for an angled lower position, to the side of the bench, as in photo 3 below. I would ask the person to tilt their head slightly and would perhaps go for a torso portrait.

Photo 5

Photo 6

Next I came across a number of green benches, each one of which was in a slightly different setting. It was amazing to see how the same bench could look so different and it was clear that not every one of them would make it a suitable setting for my portrait. 

I felt that the camera angles in photos 7 and 8 might make the shot more interesting. 

Again, the areas is clean and tidy and the background is relatively consistent so there wasn't anything distracting attention from the main subject.   

Photo 7

Photo 8

I wasn't too keen on a straight shot like the one below as it seems too flat and uninteresting.
Photo 9

The trees behind this bench (below) might be a distraction so I don't think this setting is the best for a portrait.
Photo 10

Horizontal background? Why not! 
Although a vertical surface  is often used as a background to a portrait, I thought it would be important not to neglect any suitable horizontal surfaces. I love them and often use them, my favourites include grass, blue sky (for head and shoulder shots) and leafy ground. I find that they often work well as long as there is consistency of colour or tone. Not everyone would agree to be photographed in this way and some people might not be able to lie down on the ground for physical reasons so it would be important to be sensitive and sensible when considering this as an option.

I thought that the bench itself would make a reasonably good background for someone who is prepared to lie down and stretch on the bench and look at the sky! (photo 11).
Photo 11

The following two backgrounds would be suitable for a portrait. They provide consistent tone and uncluttered surroundings allowing to focus on the face. The are suitable for head ans shoulders, torso of even a full body portrait.  

Photo 12

Photo 13

Whilst walking along the park I found this beautiful place which I thought would be a nice atmospheric setting for a full body or a group portrait. The surroundings would form an important part of the picture so it would be important to keep everything sharp in focus. I would use a tripod for this portrait and start with a standard  focal length.

Photo 14

Photo 15

Trees, tree trunks (photo 16) and tree vegetation (photo 17) can be used as background settings for a portrait (as long as a tree trunk is sufficiently wide and does not have a pattern on it that could be a distraction).

Photo 16

Photo 17

The following three photos show the backgrounds not to be used for general portraiture - unless it's intentional. These tree trunks look like human faces so would distract the viewer from the main subject.

Photo 18

Photo 19

Photo 20

A shop window on the way out of the park (photo 21) would also fall into the category of not to be used as a portraiture background. The main reason is that it's already full to the brims with the visual information in the form of different objects, colours and shapes. It's busy and it's cluttered so should not be used unless it's has something to contribute to the portrait/ image/ storyline. 

Photo 21

Photo 22 - This would be a good place for a general full body portrait and the light is very complementary (as long as the subject can be positioned to minimise any long and sharp shadows on their face).  

Photo 23 - A clear wall is a good general backdrop for a portrait (full body, torso or head and shoulders) as long as the patterns won't distract the viewer from the main subject.

Photo 24 - In contrast to Photo 21, the photo below is an example where what seems to be a busy and cluttered place can actually serve the purpose of a portrait background. On my recent trip to London I decided to continue my explorations of any potential backgrounds and examine what kind of background a person might choose for their own portrait if they are given a choice. 

I had taken many photos on that day, some of which I intend to use later in the course, but I wanted to include at least one example here. 

Alex (Yorkie) is a Londoner and a poet, homeless at present. We were talking about his poetry, London graffiti and where home was for each of us. Alex saw my camera and I offered to take a photo of him. He was very positive and, as often happens he asked where I wanted him to pose. I said that I'd like him to choose a place that he likes, a place that represent something to him or tells his story. He took me to this fence (photo 24) and I took a photo of him as he wanted. 

This was a very interesting experience as we seemed to swap the roles: it's usually the photographer who directs his subject telling them where to look, where to put their hands and what face expression is required. I felt that it was quite liberating for both of us to choose the setting in a different way. I felt strangely empowered. The background chosen by Alex was part of his story, something that he associated with strongly - and I hope he felt in some way empowered too. 

I would definitely like to explore this more and hand the choice over to the people who are photographed making them a more active part of the image making!  

Photo 25

Photo 26