Make a portrait of someone you know, paying very close attention to what is happening in the background of the shot. Be very particular about how you pose the subject and what you choose to include in the photograph. Ideally, the background should tell the viewer something about the subject being photographed. Reflect upon how successful this project was in your learning log or blog, discussing specifically what your intentions were in terms of the background you chose in your image.

For this part of the exercise I deviated slightly from the brief and decided to try and create an image of someone I did not know but use the background to convey information abouth their occupation, the idea being to try and replicate Sander’s approach.

When I saw this gentleman I was first struck by the jaunty angle of his hat and secondly the display of hats on his stall. I asked if he would mind having his photograph taken and he was happy to pose. I asked him to stand in the middle of the display of hats so that it formed an arch and he would be surrounded by hats. I positioned him about a metre in front of the hats so that there would be some slight blurring and separation but at the same time not so much that it would not be obvious what the items were. Overall I am happy with the image, I think the background conveys information about the man’s occupation and his red coat and slight blurring of the background makes the man stand out. I also think that the man’s hat conveys something about the man’s personality and I like the fact that there is one red tartan hat, like the man’s coat, although this was not something I saw when I took the photograph.