To V or to H? That's the question

[lZr]

Sometimes it is easy to decide for Verical or Horizontal composition, but given the choce I will do it H. Why is that? Are the eyes H connected to the brain? 3:2 or 4:3 and not vice versa? Try it 9:16 and look how much space is wasted. I start worrying about V composition with lenses wider the 50 mm. 35 mm is wide enough to check the wasted black space. I have more then 1,000 panoramic shots with only 1 single vertical composition that I like.

What do you think about?

 

[projectbluebird]

I was going to say that it doesn't matter. Then I realized that often after taking a Vertical shot, I take one horizontal as well. Also, even when I tilt the camera to make a more pleasing composition, those more often end up on the horizontal, rather than vertical.

 

[Pherdinand]

i think it's not accidental that they are also called "portrait" and "landscape".

However, i like square a lot 😉

 

[Roger Hicks]

As you say, sometime's there's no choice. Even then, if I'm shooting for publication, I'll try to shoot both (give the designer more choice).

Also, the old 'rules of composition' have some validity sometimes: horizontal more stable, calm, enduring, vertical more aspirational, soaring, exciting.

Cheers,

R.

 

[gb hill]

For me it depends on the subject. Plus I will shoot V if I wish to crop out any distraction to the side or in the background. I feel more comfortable with the camera shooting H. Can't explain why!

 

[Uwe_Nds]

...
Also, the old 'rules of composition' have some validity sometimes: horizontal more stable, calm, enduring, vertical more aspirational, soaring, exciting.

Cheers,

R.

Hm. Makes me think whether I am stable and calm or whether I am seeking stability and calmness as I definitely prefer horizontal or square compositions.
Maybe it's also because I find the camera more comfortable to hold in the horizontal position.

Best regards,
Uwe

 

[Doug]

For me, V or H depends on the subject and circumstances. In reviewing my photo browser catalog I see about 50-50, so I like both orientations equally. Sometimes I'll shoot both and pick later.

This is clearly not true for everyone, as there are strong proponents of the square and I think a wide preference for horizontal. There seems always to be an outcry of objection against cameras with normally vertical framing like the Fuji and Bronica 645 rangefinders. Some will just not buy a camera because of this. But no similar voiced objections to the normally horizontal; go figure. 🙄

 

[lZr]

I didn't forgot the 1:1 composition, but decided to exclude from the poll, because the photographer has no choice in this situation. It is obvious and more likely counts in the 4-th oprion. Is it?

 

[Pherdinand]

don't know... maybe more in the 3rd option.

 

[manfromh]

I often like vertical more. I dont know why though. Its just more pleasing to my eyes. Square is nice aswell.

 

[camera.bear]

It Depends

It Depends

I shoot all subjects both V and H. It really depends what my intent is for a particular subject. H can feel more relaxed and casual and V more studied and formal. Like Pherdinand, I also like the square format and will often crop a scene to get the balance that I want.

 

[nikon_sam]

For me it's what's right for whatever I'm shooting at that moment...most likely starting in the H position...
Many times like others here I will shoot the same scene in both...
Square is another way to go too...as Pherdinand has shown above...
Pherdinand's shot of the cook could also easily be cropped either way because of his placement of the subject...I like it the way it is...great shot by the way...

 

[lZr]

1:1 format is for escaping from...the unknown. It is unformal, but I like it too

 

[JeffGreene]

My preference is for 6 X 6, but tend to focus more on horizontal composition over vertical when shooting 35 MM. Not that it matters all that much in my case. The intention is there, just not the talent! 😀

 

[pvdhaar]

Depends on subject matter as far as I'm concerned, but sometimes there are shots that beg to be somewhere in between..

Sorry for the poor scan:

 

[Tuolumne]

There was a cover article many years ago in one of the monthly photo magazines citing a study that showed an overwhelming majority of photos in the US were shot horizontally. Lots of speculation in that issue about why that might be so, including the notion that it was influenced by the horizontal images of TVs. In any case, I mostly shoot horizontal, but it does depend somewhat on the subject. I just find that most subjects please me more framed H than framed V.

/T

 

[mgilvey]

I generally just shoot for whatever the scene is calling for but the problem with this is if the image needs to be used for some other purpose other than what I had in mind at the moment the shutter was clicked I'm hosed. Then it's not only a matter of V vs. H but also focal length and camera position.

Sometimes at my office, I am call on to purchase photography from a stock house. Those of you have done it, how many times have you looked at a photo and said, "man, just a little more sky" or "darn, if there was more foreground I could set my article headline in that area". It then becomes a question of photographing the scene in as many permutations as you can. Unfortunately, the stock houses don't seem to like photographers turning in 100 shots of a camera moving 1" to the left or to the right and what's more, how many of you have ever shot more than what made your design work?

Many times it is impossible to shoot more than one just because the moment came and went in the first shot.

 

[Doug]

This afternoon I went through the scans from my first roll of film in a recently acquired Nikon S3-2000 kit. These were all "alley walk" shots going 10 blocks south in one alley and returning north in a different alley. I see that 9 of the 24 exposures were horizontal orientation and the other 15 vertical.

 

[payasam]

Generally, the subject decides. One consideration is that it is safer to take a H shot than a V one at slow shutter speeds. Another is that stock agencies seem to have a preference for V compositions, at least in the close-up work I do with flowers.

 

[thomasw_]

Never thought of this much, but if I were to state a preference, it would be for vertical compositions.