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04/20/2015 08:07:58 AM · #1 |
I had an interesting comment on my entry ( I thank you for that) and it brought me to this question. I have done some googling and reading on it but a lot of sights sites are very vague and seem to be speaking to the more seasoned photographers.
I am still having issues on when it is better to shoot portrait vs landscape?
Seems I have only been a landscape shooter since picking up the camera. Not really experienced with the portrait side of things at all and since I normally am not into shooting people ( that is what I thought it was for only). I understand about the portrait if things are taller than wider and in those cases I have done Portrait, but for some reason it never kicks in until after the fact of taking a shot, because I love shooting landscape all the time. It's time I need to start honing my eye a bit.
Do you guys take photos of both ways every time or are there certain guidelines that you follow to decide what is best besides wide vs tall? I figured some of the bird shots could be portrait too but then again I am not sure about that either.
Also, I just learned how to flip the horizontal to vertical in light-room with the crop and the x.. kinda fun to play with..
Do you guys change position in post processing at times or is it just best to practice in camera?
Message edited by author 2015-04-20 08:11:03. |
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04/20/2015 08:45:29 AM · #2 |
I'd say probably 95% of all the photography i do, whether it is my personal photography or for wedding work, is landscape orientated. What's more it is pretty much always a 6x4 aspect ratio. I don't think it is just laziness on my behalf; it is just the way i see photographically. I very rarely crop in post and when i do it is very minor to straighten slightly or something. A landscape 6x4 keeps things very consistent which i like as i tend to think in series of images a lot as opposed to single images.
I do like a square crop though and occasionally venture that way but it's a hard crop to work with and only suits certain things. I'll very rarely shoot portrait if the image is really crying out for it (like in my most recent minimal portrait photo) |
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04/20/2015 09:32:32 AM · #3 |
Well it's called framing the shot, & it's possibly the most subjective, most powerful, most determining moment--just before the shutter is released. I have googled it, too. There isn't much out there, & what is, is vague. This only validates the idea of its importance & makes me think more about it.
When to frame the shot? Before looking thru the lens? or after? Is the process of determining shutter speed/aperture of primary importance? Is thinking much about placing the edges of the shot mostly instinctive--not a deliberate choice? Deciding on whether to choose landscape or portrait orientation is only a small part of the process of framing the shot.
Give it a go, try describing the process of taking a shot. The mental process not the part about choosing shutter speed/aperture. What do you see before you pick up the camera? How does it change when you look thru the lens?
I see the world in light & shadow. For me, I practice framing the shot, thinking about it, trying this & that. Over & over. My idea is that after much practice, I may be able to frame the shot without thinking about it & do a much better job of it than I did before I started thinking about it. "D
Message edited by author 2015-04-20 09:52:56. |
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04/20/2015 09:41:40 AM · #4 |
| i do a lot of post work so i shoot to capture the most information i can, whether that is wide or tall is up to the background and what i want to be in frame. I'm usually thinking how i'm going to prefer to crop it later when i compose. |
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04/20/2015 09:53:29 AM · #5 |
| One book i very highly recommend when starting to look more deeper at things like framing and composition is Stephen Shore's 'The Nature of Photographs' |
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04/20/2015 12:08:49 PM · #6 |
Is this photo that got the comment which prompted your discussion?
Your flower is a great subject and I think it could be shot in both landscape or portrait orientation. The orientation you choose would most likely be affected by your composition. I would say shooting flowers in landscape orientation would lend itself to a rule-of-thirds composition. Having the flower as the subject on one of the thirds intersections of the frame could allow showing more background which adds content. A portrait orientation might work better with a centered subject where the flower is isolated from the background and stands out as the sole focus of the frame.
I was out shooting for the first time in a long while for the lawn challenge. I didn't enter but I chose the same subject you shot for the air challenge. Here is my take on it...
Complimentary Colors by ebanmiller, on Flickr
I used a landscape orientation, got rid of the background by using a piece of 8-1/2"x11" yellow colored cardstock behind it, and shot with a wide open aperture. I think that centering the subject and isolating it from the background served to make the flower the sole focus of the shot.The complimentary colors are just one more compositional item in the photo.
I hope that demonstrates the difference in the orientations for you.
Message edited by author 2015-04-20 12:12:20.
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04/20/2015 12:22:39 PM · #7 |
Thanks for the book recommendation, rooum, I'm going to check that one out.
I don't think there is anything wrong with shooting primarily in landscape- But think it can be helpful to flip things every now and then.
In general I use landscapes if there is horizontal movement (either of the subject physically moving a la a kid running) or if that is the direction I want eyes to travel when I looking at a photo (left to right, right to left). I also use landscapes if they show more detail of the subject than a portrait/ crop out unwanted things.
Other than the above, I usually shoot portraits. Because I find vertical movement, especially of the eyes to be visually interesting. Think about it: we read left to right, we look left/ right before crossing a street. Looking up/ down is not as common. Pictures that make me look up/ down are a change in the way I usually see the world.
Message edited by author 2015-04-20 12:34:51. |
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04/20/2015 01:13:46 PM · #8 |
I like what Annie wrote.
And as Valerie noted, we see the world primarily in landscape orientation. Unless we're looking at something tall, or something retreating into the distance in front of us, we don't consciously consider a portrait/vertical orientation.
I don't like to think of framing in terms of "rules", as in what applies. The choice is part of the creative process, and shooting a traditionally landscape-oriented image in portrait orientation can be very creative. We've had "Landscape in Portrait Orientation" challenges, which I found very interesting to shoot for:
The same applies to human portraits. We "traditionally" shoot them vertically, but choosing a horizontal orientation can be an interesting creative choice.
I often shoot the same subject in both orientations so that I can study them later. Framing orientation can also be used for isolation, and other creative choices. |
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04/20/2015 01:29:25 PM · #9 |
Originally posted by EL-ROI:
Is this photo that got the comment which prompted your discussion?
Your flower is a great subject and I think it could be shot in both landscape or portrait orientation. The orientation you choose would most likely be affected by your composition. I would say shooting flowers in landscape orientation would lend itself to a rule-of-thirds composition. Having the flower as the subject on one of the thirds intersections of the frame could allow showing more background which adds content. A portrait orientation might work better with a centered subject where the flower is isolated from the background and stands out as the sole focus of the frame.
I was out shooting for the first time in a long while for the lawn challenge. I didn't enter but I chose the same subject you shot for the air challenge. Here is my take on it...
Complimentary Colors by ebanmiller, on Flickr
I used a landscape orientation, got rid of the background by using a piece of 8-1/2"x11" yellow colored cardstock behind it, and shot with a wide open aperture. I think that centering the subject and isolating it from the background served to make the flower the sole focus of the shot.The complimentary colors are just one more compositional item in the photo.
I hope that demonstrates the difference in the orientations for you. |
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Yes, this is the image that prompted this thread... I never thought about portraits until it was mentioned :-))
Thanks for the insight and help too, this is just something that I have not really put time into learning yet because I was so concentrated on trying to get the exposure and learning the F stops, ISO, Shutter speeds LOL.. I think its time to get that next step into the composition now and framing things. It is not really explained in this way that you all mentioned. I will have to look for that book as well, its not at the local library but that is ok!
So, I took that image and then did the crop and then X- I know the DOF sucks on this as well it was because I was playing with a new setting on my lens LOL
But this is what it looks like when I edited it in portrait mode.. and I do believe the comment was correct it would look way better in portrait mode
If I had cleaned that up and then cloned out the front daffodil leafs, I think It could have given a more powerful look to it..
Thank you all so much for the insight to this kind of shooting
Message edited by author 2015-04-20 13:36:04. |
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04/20/2015 03:46:09 PM · #10 |
i think shooting in portrait would have allowed to to not cut off the bottom of the plant.
it seems like a weird place crop where you did, i think landscape would have worked too if you would just have pulled back a bit. |
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04/20/2015 05:10:29 PM · #11 |
Julie, reading books is always a good idea. However, now that you're really thinking about this topic, I think you'll gain a lot from simply paying attention to images you see posted here on DPC and elsewhere.
Study the orientation and composition and really analyze what you do and don't like about it.
I think you'll learn a lot from those "real life" examples. |
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04/20/2015 06:04:43 PM · #12 |
Julie, I agree with the others.....portrait was the way to go, but I only say this because it's probably what I would have done without really thinking because the plant is vertical.
BUT, the bokeh is really nice and provides good "negative" space in the background for a landscape (with flower in one of the thirds on either side). It wouldn't be hard to clone out that green stem going through the middle, either. This is a lovely image, though....the light is so pretty!
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04/20/2015 07:27:38 PM · #13 |
thanks so much :-))
Yes, I do learn faster by doing and looking than reading :-)
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