Format. Vertical vs. Horizontal
As the general rule, hold your camera vertically for
a
vertical subject and horizontally for a horizontal
one. Unless
you have a reason for doing otherwise, not complying
with this
rule could crop out some important details to the
image, or
create empty space which contributes nothing to your
picture and
tends to reduce strength in your composition. While
showing
height or depth, and forcing the eye to scan up and
down,
comparing and relating the objects in your picture
to each other,
vertical format is usually a more off-beat approach
to framing
your subject and could also be used in order to emphasize
the
separation between the two ends of the picture area's
frame, the
bottom and the top of it. Horizontal format and its
proportions,
on the other hand, seem to appear the most 'naturally',
probably
due to the way in which our eyes are set, and the
way in which we
view the world. Theatrical stages, movie and TV screens
use
horizontal shapes too. This format is often used when
photographing groups, and as it is seen in these two
photos,
often allowing to include more elements into the picture.
Always
try to leave room to ~grow` and to 'go', when using
vertical
format. Taking pictures in the horizontal format,
leave some room
for your subject(s) to enter into or be left behind
him, as in
this photo of the mounted National Guard.
