Environmental Portraiture

This summer I was lucky enough to take an environmental portraiture class taught by David Deal. In his own work, David makes beautiful, dramatic portraits in a strikingly simple way. I say simple as a compliment, David allows his subjects to come alive without over powering them. This may look easy, but that is part of his talent.

Our class was pushed to find, or create, the right light for the subject. Working outside presents many challenges. Unlike the studio, you do not always have control over the direction or intensity of light. Finding the way to manipulate the scene turned into a very fun hunt. A hunt that I plan to continue to learn from.

To say that I learned a lot is an understatement. Great photographers don't always make great teachers, but David was both.

Below are two of my favorite photos from the class.