Learn Digital Photography - Use the Right Camera Format For Perfect Images

The very first step when shooting a photo is to decide what format to use. This may appear to be a simple decision but if you aren’t sure and use the incorrect one then a poor image may result. So, getting to grips with this element of photography is key to a great image.

A greater part of all photographs developed for amateurs at the colour photo stores are shot in the same format, landscape or horizontal. There’s nothing wrong with this but the problem is that camera manufacturers design their cameras so that this format is the standard. The controls, shutter button and viewfinder all favour the format. Maybe this is because the human eyes tend to view the world in a fuzzy horizontal oval format.

So how should we shoot our images? Is there any formula or right way to do it? I don’t think so. Each time you shoot an image you should allow the scene to determine your format. How you want to frame it and the position of various elements together with the overall composition will give you your answer.

1. Horizontal or landscape

This is the format that people tend to use because it is the easiest and the way a camera is designed. There is no reason not to use it, it’s rather the frequency of use. If you shoot one shot in landscape then try the same scene using portrait format. If you don’t experiment then you’ll probably never find out whether it would work in the other format. It does however favour horizons so most times shoot using it. Of course when shooting landscapes you always use landscape, or do you? That’s the thought with most amateur photographers. I say try a landscape using portrait and see how it turns out. Sometimes you will create a really great image.

2. Portrait

The idea of using portrait for portraits in the same way you would use landscape for landscapes is an incorrect assumption. Why? Because portrait shot in landscape can make an incredible image. Always experiment and see if the format will work with the subject or scene you will be photographing. If you don’t try you’ll never know. Portrait gives height to your images resulting in a more dynamic photo because the eye scans from bottom to top rather than left to right. Tall buildings reflect their height and trees seem to be reaching for the sky.

3. 45 degrees

Now if you can’t decide whether to shoot in horizontal or portrait, why don’t you tilt your camera to forty five degrees, in between the two formats and see what happens. I can guarantee that if you do this often enough it will result in a dramatic image or two. By changing the angle of an image you add a dynamic element and often not seen. This works very well when shooting scenes or subjects with lines and results in reflecting movement in the photo.

4. Squares

All our digital cameras have rectangular formats so whether you use portrait on landscape it will always be shot in a rectangular frame. But there is a way to change this and shoot in a square. In the old days of film in a darkroom I would use a mask or square shaped frame but now with digital darkrooms we just crop the image in Photoshop. There is an important factor to consider when shooting for a final square frame. When looking through the viewfinder imagine a square so that all the important elements are with in the parameters of the final square crop you are planning to do in Photoshop. Be prepared to experiment and you’ll probably end up with a number of stunning photos.

I always experiment with formats and you should to. There is just so much that can be done as you learn digital photography. Experiment and you’ll see. Happy shooting!

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Wayne Turner has been teaching photography for 25 years and has written three books on photography.