Horizontal or Vertical: Which format should I use?

Horizontal or Vertical Format

Many armature photographers rarely use the vertical format because their world is viewed through a horizontal format; ie: TV, computer screen, IPod, etc.  Learning to use the vertical format will enhance your photographic skills and your photographs will look professional.  

Which format you use is often dictated by the shape of the subject.  Take a look at the following two photographs of the same balloon salesman at Houston's Art  Car Parade.

  

The balloon guy is sideways and fills the horizontal frame nicely.   

I moved in front of the subject and turned the camera vertically to compose the photograph.  The frame matches the subject.  There is also a diagonal flow to the balloons.













Another reason to shoot vertical formats is for use on magazine covers. Photo editors look for vertical formats for their cover shots.

A land-sky scene should typically be in the horizontal format.

Take a look at magazines and their covers and look at how and why the photographer chose that format to use.