Tips for a Simple Portrait Photo Assignment
My assignments vary from larger multimedia projects to portrait photography sessions. The larger projects give me experience that I can use during the smaller assignments and vice versa. I enjoy both.
I was hired by an Oregon medical organization to take two environmental portraits in New Haven, CT at Yale University and another one at a New York City hospital.
We scheduled the sessions on different days, with New York first. My photography assistant and I were at a busy hospital facility in NYC. We planned the portrait session at the end of the day when the last patients were leaving, and the doctors were available. We needed to capture their unique personalities for this profile.
Best Available Visual Background
At the hospital, it was difficult to find just the right, interesting visual background to photograph the subjects. We considered outside with a small park across the street, though it was a cold, wet day; and we wanted to be sure our subjects were warm and comfortable.
Some of the logistics we needed to consider:
Weather;
Time for the Doctors to be available and relaxed for their portrait session;
Securing a location away from patients and not hindering the activities of the hospital.
We decided upon a lobby that had no patients waiting. We set up and waited for our subjects. Even with the business constraints, we were able to pull off a great medical portrait in a busy city, New York City, and in a busy hospital.
Evaluating the options in an environment and coming up with the ideal setting for the portrait is enjoyable as a Creative. As an outsider, I can pick up on more exciting settings or angles than a person who in that location every day. A fresh eye is always helpful.
That evening we headed to Yale University. We needed an early start to the day, at 2-hours before the assignment began, so we could scout the University’s campus for an ideal location. It would only take about 20 minutes to photograph the subjects.
The enjoyable tour of the University had many visual settings. We decided to photograph in a library on campus.
Environmental Portrait - Visual Locations
These two portraits reminded of the joy I get in searching for an ideal location to photograph an environmental portrait. It also demonstrated for me how the personality of each subject can be so different. It allows me to connect to each person in various ways to make them comfortable and portray them photographically on order to match the desired outcomes, article and/or art direction.
The tour of the University allowed us to find a location that told the story
There were several strong visual locations, though we felt the library was best
The same items we considered while at the hospital
Always remember to ask for permission and contact or schedule with whomever manages it. There may be locations that are off limits, or conflict with another activity in the area.
As a Rhode Island photographer, my experience in video and photography, ranging from simple projects to national projects is an asset. I travel nationally for video and photography projects that always rely on my full range of experience with many different types of multimedia projects.