GIT AWARDS SUBMISSION: First photo below.
I was tasked with taking an environmental portrait for this photo project. The choice of the subject was up to me as long as the image showcased an occupation or hobby. I choose to photograph a family member to make the project more personal. Originally, I planned to use my sister as my subject. As well as show her love for dance and tumbling. My lack of inspiration and her attitude did not go well for the final image though. Thus, I choose my cousin for the final portrait. Overall, I wanted to highlight his passion for learning and reading. Despite my challenges with composition and lighting, I love the final result
For my setting, I choose my family's living room. He is frequently there after-school consuming all types of TV shows. For the composition, my main elements were my cousin, his trumpet, his books, the family sign, and the photo wall. I liked how our family photo wall filled the negative space behind him. Especially, how the lower photos frame around his head and trumpet. I chose to surround him with books to make them an important element. Photographing him smiling with a book was my initial idea. After a lot of shooting, I had him pull out his trumpet to add more action. More technically, I shot on a Nikon D5600 with an 18-140mm lens. The focal length was 18mm with an aperture of f/3.5 at a shutter speed of 1/60. I also had an external flash battery pack shooting at a power of 1/128th on a tripod. There was a small amount of afternoon ambient light coming from small windows to the left along with a small, fluorescent living room light behind the camera. I placed the flash about 5+ feet away from my cousin. The tripod was directly in front of me with light being angled downwards above him.
