All images by Jonathan Bielaski. Used with permission

Environmental portraits are a very involved type of portraiture that is a very slow and methodical process requiring interviews and understanding of who the person is. In the end, it requires the photographer to deliver a product that tells something specific about who the subject is.

Jonathan Bielaski has been doing this for years, and knew that he wanted to be a photographer from a very young age. He is based in Toronto, Canada and some of his clients include, Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment (Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors and TFC), Sports Illustrated, Billboard Magazine, T+D Magazine, Bard Valley Dates, California Peach and Pear Growers, Home Depot, Lucas Oil, Hydro One, Ontario Pork, Dairy Farmers of Ontario, University of Waterloo, Sheridan, Laurier and the list goes on.

With a portfolio like that, we talked to him about the involving process of showing personality in a portrait.

Phoblographer:: Tell us about how you got into photography.

JB: I got into photography naturally; my dad was a master print maker and my mom a graphic designer. I was surrounded by images 24/7. They both tried to raise me to do something other than the arts but it was just part of me, I knew I wanted to create images at a very young age. By the time I was in high school I was assisting on commercial jobs and had a studio to start taking my own images. From there lots of hard work and persistence led to where I am now.

Phoblographer: What first attracted you to shooting portraits then environmental portraits?

JB: When I started out in photography I did not enjoy making portraits and was attracted to still life photography, I now know that it was my attraction to lighting and with shooting these types of images I could master light and its effects. But something was missing–when I was photographing custom motorcycles and custom made products the story about the makers became a huge interest to me. Who they were and where they lived or worked fascinated me. I wanted to capture them in their workspace. People have a story as well as their space, together they complete a visual story and you can capture who they are and what they do in a signal frame.

PB: Environmental portrait photography often is a process involving an interview, getting to know the person a bit, and then applying creativity to the scene. Do you have certain questions that you always ask before shooting?

JB: With making any portrait I do–I like to sit down with the subject and learn about them: what they do, where they come from and where they want to go. I ask them to take me though a typical day, show me some of there favorite places and tools. I really try to get to know them. Sometimes this is done on the same day of the shoot and sometimes it is done beforehand, but the best thing that I have learned to do is listen. By listening, you learn and find the small details that makes them who they are.

Phoblographer: To you, what makes for the perfect environmental portrait?

JB: To me a perfect environmental portrait is a portrait that tells a story, you are learning something about the person in the portrait with out the use of words. The background and foreground are just as important as the person in telling the story but they are the supporting cast and the person is the lead roll. On their own they could make good images but together they make a great image.

“.the best thing that I have learned to do is listen. By listening, you learn and find the small details that makes them who they are.”

Phoblographer: These people obviously aren’t professional models; so posing them can be tough sometimes. How do you work with these folks to make them look their best?

JB: During my shoots we are always having a conversation and I try to make them forget about the camera. This is a huge help. If they are talking about something they love it comes through. You need to know how to relate to them so research anything and every...