TAOP Vertical and horizontal frames.

Outline: Choose a variety of settings and take 20 photographs vertically and then take a horizontal photograph of all the vertical compostions made.

For this exercise, I looked through a lot of my previously taken images. Whenever I've taken pictures in the past I have always undertaken this process, taking vertical and horizontal compositions of the same object or landscape, and then chosen the best version afterwards. I always felt it gave me more choice in deciding the best composition.

I have taken photographs specifically for the exercise as well though. The images I have are shown below.

I think that both the compositions work for this image but for different reasons. The vertical works best to emphasise the the church tower and its height but the horizontal works well to show the actual building as a whole, which then takes the focus off the tower completely. I prefer the vertical composition.

 I prefer the horizontal composition with this image. The castle here doesn't have a taller aspect to it like in the previous image and therefore, for me, the horizontal view emphasises the grandeur of the castle. The vertical composition does work as well though, showing more depth by including the grass and more of the sky than the horizontal image.

I prefer the vertical here. The horizontal has an above central horizon, drawing more attention to the foreground. However, I think the fact that the main subject (the promenade) is completely to the right of the image doesn't balance the image very well. The vertical is at a slightly different angle but now the horizon is more central and the subject takes up most of the lower image.

I like both compositions of this image. The inner statue is the same height as the outer remains, but i get more of a feeling of the height from the vertical frame, whereas the horizontal frame takes the focus from the statue and highlights the remains in the background. Even though you can see pretty much exactly the same image in both compositions, I prefer the overall feel from the vertical, in that we can see some of the grass in the lower part of the image, giving more of an idea of the setting.

 

 These frames both work for this image. Again, there is nothing taller that needs to stand out so both compositions highlight the walkway. I think the horizontal framing gives the sense of the walkway being slightly more elongated and the vertical gives the sense that the walkway roof is higher. A good example of the different perspectives that the compositions make to the subject.

I prefer the horizontal frame here. The vertical can really highlight the centre part of the house and emphasise the fact that this part has height but the whole house does not fit in the frame. This is why this frame doesn't work.

The same applies to this image as with the previous image. This was the detailing on the roof of a building so I had to zoom right in to be able to photograph the detail. But the subject doesn't really fit in the vertical frame, you get a better view with the horizontal frame.

I think both frames work very well with this image. The vertical highlights the statue as the subject and the house as background detail. It emphasises the height of the statue and also gives a good composition overall. With the angles of view giving a perpective of looking up at the subject too, this framing gives the image a sense of depth . The horizontal frame flattens the image in my opinion but the overall photograph works well. This image emphasises the house more than the vertical frame, making it part of the subject and not just part of the background scene.

I like both compositions of this image. Both work well and as I've previously stated, the vertical frame offers more depth to the image than the horizontal.

Again, with the danger of sounding repetitive, both frames capture the image and seem to work well. The vertical, once again, emphasises the height of the subjects but this time it's the horizontal frame that offers more depth to the image. Personally, I prefer the vertical framing here.

I prefer the vertical frame in this image. I do, however, really like the inclusion of the building in the horizontal view, but i think it takes focus slightly off the subject (being the sculpture). In most of the images in this exercise, I've stated how the vertical frame emphasises the subjects height and while this is still true in this case, I'm impressed that the inclusion of the building in the horizontal frame also highlights the scale of the subject.   

The horizontal frame does well here to show off the surroundings of the subject, however I prefer the vertical image, purely because the subject has more focus and detailing.

I think both compositions work well here but I personally prefer the horizontal frame, as we can get more of an overall setting for the image without there being a specific subject.

I love both of these images. As they are both almost identical, even with the different framing, I cant decide which I prefer I'm afraid. I do think that both compositions work well in this picture.

I like both of these images. The vertical image could not fit all of the tree in with it being so wide, therefore I chose a slightly different angle for this image. And the outcome is good. The tree is beautiful though and the horizontal frame really shows off the tree in all it's glory so I can say here that I prefer this version.

I prefer the vertical framing of this shot of Ogmore river. I like the depth I get from it with the focus being completely on the river as opposed to the horizontal frame highlighting the landscape.

These photos were taken at Ogmore river mouth at sunset, as the tide was going out. I prefer the horizontal image here. I like the vertical frame as it gives real focus to the sun, however I much prefer the overall landscape of the horizontal composition.

The millenium stadium at Cardiff. I wanted to photograph the architectural detail as well as the location, with the stadium being set on the river. The vertical frame shows this well, however, the horizontal didn't quite work. The detailing doesn't fit in the image completely so my preference goes to the vertical image.

I love photographing castles and I really liked the main 'driveway' up to this castle in west Wales. The vertical image shows the depth very well and works well to portray the 'drive up'  in this image. But it doesn't show much of the castle itself. To show this, I had to zoom out, hence removing the depth created in the vertical frame. I prefer the vertical purely as I wanted the subject to be the 'driveway' but if the castle is to be the main subject, the horizontal frame would work better.

Finally, I was shopping in Tenby and spotted this church. I liked the clock tower and the vertical image was the best at capturing it. Again, it doesn't work so well in the horizontal image as I had to cut off the top of the tower. So, i prefer the vertical framing of this image.

Conclusion:

I've learned here that the composition can be dramatically altered with which composition you use to capture it. Some landscapes can work very well with a vertical frame as well as with a horizontal frame. I'm also impressed at how much depth you can get in a vertical composition. But this exercise does confirm that If you are looking to photograph a tall subject, a vertical composition will definitely emphasise it's height more than a horizontal frame. And vice versa for a wide subject.