I do not know if you have ever wondered the extent to which the format in which you take your photos determines the final result, you may have intuition in a certain way and that, through practice, intuition or vision, you will benefit from each of them without being very aware of why.
Today I suggest you explain that photographic formats go beyond square, rectangular, vertical or horizontal, I come to explain the theory, why each of them, their strengths and weaknesses.
- Because there may be something you missed when using them.
- Because maybe you didn’t encourage the other formats too much.
- Because knowledge isn’t done and because you always learn something new that can be useful (at least I hope so?).
That said, let’s look at the different photo formats and how to make the most of them.
Yes, although it is not a format in itself, it is clear that we composed images through it (mainly), this first aspect is the first to determine the final result of our photographs, what we see is rectangular in a camera designed to work. Horizontally.
Although (with practice) we can ignore what we see through the viewer and compose in other formats, the truth is that it conditions us a lot.
The viewfinders and cameras were not designed horizontally just for fun or to annoy those we love the vertical format;), they were designed to adapt to the human aspect, which not only determines the design of our cameras, but especially how we do and read. Images.
Human vision is horizontal, binocular (two eyes) and is characterized by a sharp focus at a narrow angle while the surrounding image gradually becomes blurry as it moves away from the point where we focus, however, the eye moves quickly on stage, allowing us to have a perfectly sharp image when analyzing the scene without even being aware of these opaque areas.
After this brief introduction, let’s look at the most used formats in photography today, starting with the 3:2 which, if you come from the analog world, is sure to be very familiar, because it is the one that had the standard reels. that the vast majority of photography enthusiasts used to work with.
This type of format is inherited directly from 35 mm and is characterized by elongated proportions, it is the format that best suits our intuitive horizontal composition system, since it adapts perfectly to our vision, horizon and organization of horizontal elements. On the other hand, if you choose to work vertically, we will see that it adapts to both the human figure and markedly vertical elements.
In this format, directivity is very marked, whether working horizontally or vertically, and greatly conditions the composition and result of the image.
This is the format that most amateur and mobile cameras of low and medium range have adapted as the most natural format, in this case the directivity is not as marked as in 3: 2, and are better suited to the eye and especially to screens and prints.
This is probably the one you use if you work in digital, it adapts very well to vertical and horizontal images, especially the first ones.
Its strong point is the malleability of its proportions, which allow to work with lines and compositions in a comfortable way and not so marked and predefined by the shape of the frame itself.
Although platforms like Instagram have made it very fashionable and now it seems like a very common format, the truth is that, until now, it was designed for very specific and timely images.
Square composition is not always easy, because its symmetry, balance and lack of directivity can easily cause us to fall into unreasured or unbalanced compositions (usually all elements have a dominant line that we usually adapt to the longer side of the frame).
To escape the boredom of symmetry (which can sometimes be interesting, of course, but not always), you have to try to break it up in the composition, well through negative space, lines, the location of the main element in the frame, the color, etc.
We have already talked about how horizontal images have a natural appeal to humans, panoramic photographs are the culmination of horizontality and, thanks to the editing tools, we do not need a specific camera or much knowledge to capture all the possibilities.
However, panoramic photographs require a mental anticipation of the result; that is, you have to imagine the image beforehand and choose the best composition without seeing the result until you work on its retouching.
Today’s panoramas are nothing more than a succession of images that go through the same scene, placed side by side thanks to an editorial program that takes care of making them perfectly integrated, creating an image without interruption.
That is why we must anticipate its appearance in terms of composition and framing and also in terms of the number of photographs that we want to use, the more we use, the longer the image, but gradually it will lose the top and bottom of the image. the photo (it will be narrower), so you won’t have to go too far either;).
And of course, do not hesitate to get out of the conventional and get to work with the vertical panoramas, you will be surprised;).
It’s obvious that each format has its purpose and its timing, isn’t it?, although it’s possible that for your day-to-day life, the one that works best for you is 4:3; Not only because it is the one that is provided by default in most non-professional cameras and smartphones, but also because it is the one that best suits different screens and print formats.
And so far today’s article. I hope you found it interesting and that it has helped you realize that the photographic format we use not only exists but also greatly conditions our images.
You dare try something different? Do it, you will see how this forces you to work harder in your compositions, will open your mind and improve your creativity.
But before that, don’t forget to share this article on your favorite social network to reach as many people as possible. Thanks and I’ll see you soon.