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Choosing a Format

© Wendy Folse

In previous articles I have touched upon this subject. However, I feel that it is such an important aspect of composition that it deserves a full length article. As basic as it sounds, many beginners and weekend shooters never give it much thought.

Look through your photo albums and sort the pictures into two piles; one for all pictures shot in a horizontal format; and one for all the pictures shot in a vertical format. If you find that the two piles are pretty close in size, then praise yourself for having mastered one of the basic elements of good composition. If your horizontal stack for outweighs the vertical pile, then it is time to re-program your shooting habits.

The very nature of a photo is a frame inside a frame. It has dimension and occupies space, but it also traps the subject within its borders. In choosing which format will work best, first consider the subject. Remember way back, when you first learned to draw figures using basic shapes? A tree started with a rectangle? A house was a square with a triangle on top? Learning to choose the format starts with analyzing its basic shape. A subject should not be cramped into a format; rather the format should compliment and enhance the total composition.

A person rarely looks good in a horizontal format unless it is in a group composition or if the person is in a reclining position. On the other hand, a four legged animal has a typical linear or horizontal shape. The Eiffel Tower would look cramped in a horizontal format, unless the composition was focused more on the skyline scenery instead of the tower. A tall building dictates a vertical format, whereas a school bus would most certainly look better in a horizontal format.

A lot of beginners forget that a camera can actually be held in a different position. They get so used of shooting everything horizontally whether it looks good or not. The format is as much a part of the total composition as is the subject itself. This practice forces the shooter to commit another fatal error. When trying to force the wrong shape into the wrong format, a shooter has to move back too far. Remember, get in close and fill the frame. This causes things to get included into the composition that is better left out. The wasted space becomes a void on either side of the intended subject.