The horizontal portrait.... Oh, hi Derrel :)

[pgriz]

As the family pest with the camera, er, photographer, I get to shoot lots of snapshots of family events, large and small. This Sunday, we were over at my sister and brother-in-laws for a family dinner, and the theme was Movember - where all the men-folk grow facial shrubbery for eventual sacrifice at the end of the month. Some of us were somewhat thin on that requirement, so my brother-in-law thoughfully supplied stick-on mustaches for those in need. My nephew loved the idea, and being the free-thinker that a 5-year-old can be, he decided that there was a better place. I snapped this shot when he was temporarily sitting on the couch, catching his breath for the next half-hour of bouncing around again.

Personally, I like it, but since portraiture is not what I normally shoot, I don't know if this is OK, good, or merely a snapshop. And don't worry, you can tell me what you really think.

 

[OLaA]

I don't really like the composition. Looks awkward to me. Also the focus is a little off. Seems to locked on the hair, rather than the eyes. Could be that I'm viewing from my phone. Still not a bad capture. I'm sure a mom or dad would still love it.

 

[MLeeK]

First-everyone make sure you click to the full size. The color looks better there. It seems to have a touch of green maybe warm here, but I think it looks MUCH better full size.
Rotate it? Maybe? I do like it, but not sideways... I think. Love the beautiful soft, catchlights in the eyes. I think it's soft-as in raw processing soft, not focus. Final sharpen needed.

 

[DiskoJoe]

Personally, I like it, but since portraiture is not what I normally shoot, I don't know if this is OK, good, or merely a snapshop. And don't worry, you can tell me what you really think.

Who doesnt shoot portraits? Seriously? This is what cameras were made for.

 

[PixelRabbit]

First-everyone make sure you click to the full size. The color looks better there. It seems to have a touch of green maybe warm here, but I think it looks MUCH better full size.
Rotate it? Maybe? I do like it, but not sideways... I think. Love the beautiful soft, catchlights in the eyes. I think it's soft-as in raw processing soft, not focus. Final sharpen needed.

I have found with almost every single one of Paul's posts you MUST view it large, you miss out if you don't, not quite sure why!
I agree, I like it, almost, when I tilt my head sideways it significantly changes the connection with the handsome devil, it changes it from very static in horizontal to a "peeking around a corner with a bit of mischief in his eyes" in portrait....

 

[pgriz]

Thanks, MLeeks and Judi! Hmmm... the sharpness IS a problem. In full-rez, it's very sharp. In the resized version, I sharpened it a bit prior to posting, but the posted version looks softer than the exact same image that I uploaded. This happened with several other shots I posted earlier. So somewhere between my first edits and the final posting, the sharpness takes a nosedive. It'll be nice to solve this particular mystery.

As for the posing, he was reclining on the couch when I took this shot. Initially, I was going to rotate the image, but then after looking at it, decided to try it in the horizontal format. Guess that it's not that compelling. Need more practice.

 

[Derrel]

I have no problem whatsoever with horizontal portraits--provided that a horizontal framing of the subject makes good,effective,attractive use of the compositional space. If the composition sucks because the shooter is too much of a novice to understand when and why to frame the subject in an effective and attractive fashion, then I rail against such half-assed work.

I shot this shot, and a short sequence like it, all as horizontals...out of over 700 mostly verticals...because the subject's body positioning, and the activity she was engaged in, was WIDER than it is was "tall"...in this particular instance. This tight compositional style is what I was taught was called the "as in a painting" style or approach to photographic composition by my fine art and fine art photography professor J.T. Kirk. In that style, the subject is presented so as to mostly fill the entire compositional space, with the subject touching, or nearly touching, at least three of the four sides of the picture area. This is Nikon's old 85mm 1.4 AF-D at f/4.

 

[gsgary]

Im alway taking horizontal portraits with my Mamiya C330

 

[Judobreaker]

Im alway taking horizontal portraits with my Mamiya C330

A square photo can't really be counted as either horizontal or vertical can it now...

 

[Designer]

I think all this "horizontal vs. vertical" talk is because so many shots are taken in horizontal when they should have been made in vertical.

Any time there is a perfectly good reason to turn one's camera, we should do it, and turn it to the best format for the shot.

We have seen many portraits, including this one that obviously belong in horizontal format.

 

[paigew]

Hi pgriz. To me this seems like a snapshot. I think it could be a more compelling portrait if it wasn't cropped so tightly. I would like to see more of the couch that he is lying on. Cute shot though!

 

[Derrel]

I think all this "horizontal vs. vertical" talk is because so many shots are taken in horizontal when they should have been made in vertical.

Any time there is a perfectly good reason to turn one's camera, we should do it, and turn it to the best format for the shot.

We have seen many portraits, including this one that obviously belong in horizontal format.

My thought process, to a T. Well-stated, Designer! It is about using the best orientation on a shot-by-shot basis..."vertical!" is not an arbitrary "rule" and it is in no way an automatic choice...it is about shooting so that the photo uses the space in the most-pleasing manner...which involves understanding at least "some" compositional theory and some basic principles of visual communication.