I shoot vertical.

[Ratmagiclady]

Originally Posted by c.r.brown

We were doing well until photolady ruined my hypothesis.

I wouldn't say necessarily so, out of hand. I could see there being something about being of more or *less* than average height that might encourage shooting vertical, if say, you're more accustomed to looking up or down when dealing with others.

Just a thought.

As for myself, I suppose it's all based on moods. I'm usually pretty flexible, but I notice when I'm having kind of a 'verticals day' ...I can go a long time without shooting a vertical, then one afternoon find myself just seeing that way.

[dugrant153]

I used to do a lot of verticals before until I took pictures in my latest japan trip and tried to put them into a photo album. For me and for others, it's quite a hassle to turn your head/neck or the entire album to view one or two photos in vertical orientation.

I have since changed my style to go more horizontal, but I don't mind vertical for a few shots a lot less picture rotation in post too!

I'm 5'9" and I used to do plenty of vertical. I now do 90% horizontal.

[c.r.brown]

Originally Posted by Ratmagiclady

I wouldn't say necessarily so, out of hand. I could see there being something about being of more or *less* than average height that might encourage shooting vertical, if say, you're more accustomed to looking up or down when dealing with others.

Just a thought.

You know I was showing my heightist view there, it never occurred to me that, even more, someone of '*less* than average height' should have that peculiar eye.

I am interested in how our physical view of the world colors our artistic. Such as with Monet and astigmatism.

Interesting.

[ll_coffee_lP]

5'4"

60% (ish) horizontal
38% (ish) vertical
2% (ish) angled

c[_]

[kevinschoenmakers]

This could be a great thesis. What a shame I study something entirely irrelevant to this question.

[logic14]

Not necessarily. I really do mean almost all my pictures.. including seascapes and sometimes landscapes. I think maybe I just 'want' to shoot vertical, like its my default mode, and feel dirty shooting horizontal. or, I could be completely full of it.

[séamuis]

Originally Posted by logic14

Not necessarily. I really do mean almost all my pictures.. including seascapes and sometimes landscapes. I think maybe I just 'want' to shoot vertical, like its my default mode, and feel dirty shooting horizontal. or, I could be completely full of it.

I actually find that looking through the viewfinder and holding the camera vertically to be much more "natural" and easy to use. the eyepiece just "fits" in the eye better. maybe thats why I shoot this way more often, without realizing it. at least for me, I don't believe it to be a photographic composition thing.

[Pentax_XTC]

I'm 6'3" and here my ratio:
75% vertical
25% horizontal

also

80% standing up
20% laying down on something

[arpaagent]

I shoot vertical if the subject needs it, but I try to avoid it otherwise. Why? Because humans are better at perceiving something wide rather than tall. Our eyes at side apart sideways which allows us to see much more space along a horizontal plane that vertical. This is why all of our electronic displays have been moved towards "widescreen," and why movies have always been shown wide. It allows the photograph/subject to entire fill the viewers field of perception, allowing him/her to get immersed in the photograph.

So, oftentimes, I'll purposefully shoot horizontal even for a more vertical subjet matter. When it comes down to it, I'll still be able to view it at the same size vertically, but will also be able to capture more of the horizontal portion of the picture. Just need to step back a bit or zoom out to fit the subject in the frame. Of course, this doesn't always work, and sometimes for pure compositional reasons portrait orientation will work better. Or you may need to capture as much detail as necessary on something and don't want to "waste sensor space" on stuff to the side.

Anyways, I think that portrait orientation has it's uses but horizontal photos can fill the viewers field of perception much easier. That's why I like to shoot horizontal.

[Classvino]

I never shoot either vertical or horizontal.

I seem to always be a degree or two off...

Though I attempt horizontal more often...

Jamie

[clmonk]

I almost always shoot vertical too. I find that if I am lying down I have to many "up angle" shots.

[Douglas_of_Sweden]

Being a old time still photographer, who frequently shift between landscape and portrait format with the camera, I did the same when I recently started to play with the video on the K-7...with the effect that my first audience almost fell of their chairs a couple of times and got slightly sea sick...

[FHPhotographer]

Originally Posted by c.r.brown

by an almost 5:1 margin i estimate. Out of 32 photos I just took wandering a car show, 2 were standard horizontal shots.

I wonder if this is due to using the battery grip, or because I'm 6'4 and see things that way? Weird.

Maybe I should take the grip off for a month and see what happens.

Good thread. I never think about vertical even though I end up cropping nearly everything off the left/right sides. I'm going to give it a shot hehehehe.

ADDITION: just tried it, and like it a lot, but I find it awkward holding the camera. Is there a recommended technique, does the battery grip really help?
Brian

[jgredline]

What about?

[c.r.brown]

Originally Posted by FHPhotographer

ADDITION: just tried it, and like it a lot, but I find it awkward holding the camera. Is there a recommended technique, does the battery grip really help?
Brian

Yeah the grip helps alot at least for me. It offers a nice purchase as opposed to holding it sideways without.

Originally Posted by jgredline

What about?

Yeah I've done that too but they tend to come out as 'trying to look artsy'. So i've been letting the natural angles do their work for me.