I’m sure that at some point someone famous said that if you want to know a person then observe them where they spend their time. Just imagine a quote like that opening up this blog post because I was too lazy and pressed for time to try and find one.
This week our photojournalism assignment was to take “environmental portrait” pictures – pictures of someone in their natural habitat. My biggest challenge was that I’m terrible at posing people. I’m more of a a candid shot person, I feel that a person’s personality is best portrayed when they don’t even know a camera is pointed at them.
But, that’s what class is about – learning to do things you don’t like to do. And so I once again gritted my teeth and plunged in. Which, by the way, is on the list of things of things which I don’t like to do but class is forcing me do with great ease.
This is Kim, she runs the Underground Coffeehouse on campus. Kim has managed to earn the respect and fascination of almost everyone on campus through her amazing, color changing fohawk. It just recently went from bright purple to a watered down teal, both of which are amazing.
Besides amazing hair, Kim also possesses the rare talent of remembering the vast array of students who visit the coffeehouse, even if they aren’t regulars. The two of us bonded over our unique hairstyles and to this day she still remembers my inordinate love of whipped cream, the fact that I take a copy of my receipt, and that I always take my coffee for here.
I love this shot I got of her. There is a student manager just outside of the frame who was talking to her about something business related. Kim told me to just shoot while she talked which resulted in her looking at me but smiling at the manager. I like the effect it gives because her attention is very obviously divided which perfectly captures her typical environment.
There is a pool room in the Underground which is practically always occupied by students looking for a way to de-stress between classes or before they go home. Thankfully there was a game going while I was on the hunt for subjects. I walked in, introduced myself and my mission, and then started photographing.
I am always amazed by how well students react to the idea of being photographed for the newspaper, homework, blog, or what have you. I have yet to approach a student and get anything other than an enthusiastic response.
This pool game was no different. Although one of the players asked me not to photograph her, she was still was still excited about my project and open to me and my camera being in the room. She never asked to see my photos, taking it on trust that I would stick to the agreement. I don’t know if that trust is just a characteristic of students who share a campus, or a larger personality trait of age group as a whole.
I enjoyed photographing the pool game. I took pictures as they played an actual game, which gave me a never ending variety of angles, poses and expressions. Although I didn’t have as much control over the situation as my professor would have liked, I am pleased with the way these “candid environmental portraits” turned out.
 |
Jessten Herrild, age 20, shoots pool with his friends Tuesday, Jan. 20th at the Underground Coffeehouse Bellingham Wash. Herrild doesn’t consider himself to be a particularly talented player, but during the game he and his friends were surprised by how well he played. The Newcastle native laughingly attributed his sudden skill to the presents of a camera in the room. |
But after I shot them, I remembered that our professor was very specific about only allowing one of our photo subjects to be related to campus. One of my subjects was going to have to go. Poor Kim got voted off the island in favor of the pool game, but this put me at one person instead of the required two.So, I was once again on the hunt for subjects.
I took the bus down to the Fairhaven district and walked into one of the main bookstores, Village Books. Initially I approached a woman behind the counter of a bout 50 with the most amazing grey hair, but she was uncomfortable being photographed because of her age. I thought this was a terrible shame since she was simply beautiful and would have made an amazing subject. As it was she shanghaied a younger employee to take her place in front of my lens.
 |
Nadia Saenz, age 20 of Bellingham, stands in front of a display at Village Books, Tuesday, Jan. 20th, Fairhaven Wash. Saenz is a student at Western working for one of the prominent book stores in the neighboring town of Fairhaven. She is pictured next to a featured display of adventure themed products including books, mugs, and stationary.
|
I like all the texture going on in this photo. I was afraid that there might be too much going on, that the frame would feel crowded and busy. But my professor assured me that on the contrary it did a good job of showing of the environment of the bookshop.
And that was my first stumble into the world of environmental portraits. It was an accident that both of the subjects I turned in were 20 and students at Western, one of the occupational hazards of working in a college town I suppose. I wish I had had more time to develop the photos. Most of them were kind of slapped together without much planning or knowledge of my subjects. My main focus was just to get the project done and turned in rather than done well.
…
This week’s assignment is to capture “honest emotion”. It’s a challenging subject because it has to be in the moment. Which means I have spent the whole week with a camera in my hands scanning the crowds around me for a sign of a kiss or a tear.
Hopefully that blog post will actually be published on time, be looking for it next weekend.
Kesia Lee 
honest emtion. That sounds like a Super Bowl watch party assignment to me. It wouldn't be original, but it's about the easiest way to “plan” on capturing raw emotion in today's society.
LikeLike