Why I Shoot Vertically Now More Than Ever
I’ve started to shoot vertically more often, and it’s been more than just a change in orientation for me.
Being a photographer who loves big, broad scenes and wide angle lenses, I find it interesting that I have been capturing more and more images in a vertical orientation in the past couple of years. Generally speaking, landscapes and cityscapes (which are my preferred subjects) look great through a wide angle lens and in landscape orientation, and that is how I have traditionally captured them. In fact, it’s nearly the only way that I shot for 10-12 years at least. But I’ve noticed over the last couple of years that I’ve been turning the camera into portrait/vertical orientation a lot more. There are a few reasons why, and some things I enjoy about this “new” orientation. Let’s dive into it!
I never really considered shooting vertically in the past, but now that I am doing it more often, I am loving it. Of course I did capture some waterfalls vertically - just because it makes sense for many of them due to their height and narrow shape - but outside of that subject, it was rare for me. It never really crossed my mind.
1) The most obvious reason that I’ve been doing this is because of my iPhone. I tend to naturally hold it in vertical mode when I look at it, and over time found myself shooting that way too, at least part of the time. I think it’s also influenced by my use of Instagram (and Stories, in particular, because it will nearly fill the screen). While I don’t spend a lot of time and effort on IG like a lot of folks, I do post there and enjoy the engagement, and love seeing all the great photos from other photographers. So as I have shared there more often in the last couple of years, I have gravitated to vertical orientation out of necessity, really.
2) The other part of that, which is again related to Instagram, is that I also tend to shoot a lot of videos that way these days. I never really did anything with those videos until the last few months when I’ve been making a few Instagram Reels, too. So now when I am out, and the scene is inviting, I will capture some vertical video just in case I want to make a Reel about it, or share it in a Story. I mostly just keep these vids to myself, but I do share some of them and thus it’s now something that I think about by default when I am out, which is a big change for me. Going back 2+ years, I wasn’t taking any videos in vertical orientation, and I was rarely shooting vertically.
3) I have also discovered that shooting in vertical orientation often makes for a more compelling composition. This is actually a much bigger reason than the ones listed above, because of course I want to capture compelling photographs. Some scenes just line up perfectly when you flip the camera - even more so than when shot horizontally. This helps isolate the subject, or simplify the scene. It also helps to remove unwanted things from the image, and that comes in handy more often that I thought. It’s also a nice change in your viewpoint and I like the results I am getting. I just wish I had started sooner, because I feel like there are a lot of shots I would do differently these days. (Isn’t that always the case?)
4) I also started shooting panos a few years ago, and in the process switched out the head on my tripod (I mostly use the Peak Design carbon fiber one) and got an L-bracket to make it quick and easy to change orientation. Getting the L-bracket tripod mount was huge. Having that just makes it so quick to switch things up, even if you’re not going to shoot a pano. So I ended up doing more of them, because it was easy and I had become curious.
In the past, switching orientation required more maneuvering with the tripod head to get a vertical shot lined up and straight, and I found it a bit challenging most of the time - doubly so on the Peak Design tripod due to its design (which I love, but still). Now it’s a quick flip and I’m shooting! No fuss required. And that’s a big deal for me. I want to be able to quickly compose and shoot if needed, and spending time fussing with alignment and knobs on the tripod is never fun. And I never seem to get them straight either LOL.
5) Another reason this change occurred is because when I am out shooting, I am often thinking of what I can capture and make a compelling YouTube tutorial about. And a big part of YouTube is creating the thumbnail, because that is what (hopefully) grabs the viewers attention. When I make a thumbnail for YouTube, I am most often showing a before/after comparison. When you have a vertical image, you can easily line up the before and after images next to each other, which shows the viewer what they will learn in the video. So I naturally started capturing more vertical images, since I obviously make a lot of YouTube videos.
6) And the last reason, which is one I never thought much about until recently, is that many people viewing my photos are viewing them on a phone, which they are likely holding vertically. So that just sort of fits.
So that’s how I got interested in and slightly addicted to shooting vertically. I still plan to take most shots horizontally but adding in some vertical shots when I am out is a nice addition to my shooting, and I am finding that many times I like the vertical ones better than the horizontal ones.
Are you shooting vertically too? Why or why not?
Here are some examples photos that I have captured vertically (click to enlarge):
