Vertical or horizontal format - you decide

John's Family Conservancy near Kelowna, BC.  Which format do you prefer?

Landscapes, horizontal compositions, are called that because they are often used to photograph outdoor natural settings.  Portraits, vertical compositions, are likewise because they are used to commonly photograph individuals.  However, A landscape can be shot in portrait format and a portrait can be shot in a landscape format; it's entirely up to the creator of the image.  Hopefully, that made some sense to you.

Although it's true that I shoot landscapes horizontally as a normal means of composition, I do occasionally like to mix things up a bit and shoot them vertically.  Much of it depends on the scene and what it is I want to achieve.  For the above photos, I decided I would use the foreground tree as a significant subject and shoot it in both formats.  The results are both good, although I like the portrait presentation better because it makes the main subject all the more appealing and significant. Also, there is the large, light coloured rock in the foreground (bottom left) in both images; it is less distracting and a bit more appealing in the portrait.

If you are unsure which to try, do both.  I often shoot a scene in both formats and examine the results later in post.  A little cropping will usually enhance the final result.  Which one do you like better?

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com