Comments on: Is Portrait Formatting always best for Portraits? http://digital-photography-school.com/is-portrait-formatting-always-best-for-portraits Discover how to use your digital camera with our Digital Photography Tips. We are a community of photographers of all experience levels who come together to learn, share and grow in our understanding of photography. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 03:30:48 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: L Flavell http://digital-photography-school.com/is-portrait-formatting-always-best-for-portraits/comment-page-1#comment-70802 L Flavell Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:20:05 +0000 http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/is-portrait-formatting-always-best-for-portraits/#comment-70802 Why we, as photographers, even allowed a computer software company (Microsoft) to change the names of the orientation of photograph aspect ratios, I will never know. Why did Adobe adopt the ‘portrait/landscape’ terminology rather than just us what we have been using for hundreds of years, vertical/horizontal. The entire photographic industry should protest the use of the terms as they have been applied to digital media anyway and demand that this nonsensical use of the terms be reversed. Why should it have been harder to learn to use the normal terminology for vertical and horizontal than these new, non-accurate, improperly applied terms anyway? The terms portrait and landscape do not even mean vertical and horizontal. No, ‘portrait’ is not the ONLY way you can shoot a portrait with a camera AND shooting a portrait as a horizontal is not ‘breaking any rules’ because the misuse of this term should not imply that it is the orientation that a portrait of person MUST be photographed. So make photographs of people in either VERTICAL or HORIZONTAL orientation, apply the rule of thirds if desired and find new ways to express your personal artistic style as a photographer. Why we, as photographers, even allowed a computer software company (Microsoft) to change the names of the orientation of photograph aspect ratios, I will never know. Why did Adobe adopt the ‘portrait/landscape’ terminology rather than just us what we have been using for hundreds of years, vertical/horizontal. The entire photographic industry should protest the use of the terms as they have been applied to digital media anyway and demand that this nonsensical use of the terms be reversed.

Why should it have been harder to learn to use the normal terminology for vertical and horizontal than these new, non-accurate, improperly applied terms anyway?

The terms portrait and landscape do not even mean vertical and horizontal.

No, ‘portrait’ is not the ONLY way you can shoot a portrait with a camera AND shooting a portrait as a horizontal is not ‘breaking any rules’ because the misuse of this term should not imply that it is the orientation that a portrait of person MUST be photographed.

So make photographs of people in either VERTICAL or HORIZONTAL orientation, apply the rule of thirds if desired and find new ways to express your personal artistic style as a photographer.

]]> By: shanelle lee http://digital-photography-school.com/is-portrait-formatting-always-best-for-portraits/comment-page-1#comment-70389 shanelle lee Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:14:54 +0000 http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/is-portrait-formatting-always-best-for-portraits/#comment-70389 Loved this article. It is really useful and informative. Loved this article. It is really useful and informative.

]]> By: Sabrina http://digital-photography-school.com/is-portrait-formatting-always-best-for-portraits/comment-page-1#comment-55056 Sabrina Fri, 26 Jun 2009 22:56:09 +0000 http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/is-portrait-formatting-always-best-for-portraits/#comment-55056 I'm still pretty new to the portrait photography world, because most of the work I did before was still-life, sunsets, etc. The one thing that I am having trouble with is this: You see both of those pictures of the girl in this tutorial? How in the WORLD do you get them to look so real? "Real" meaning: so smooth, so clear, so... perfect I guess you could say. Especially in something like wedding photography. I look at so many professional photographer's work, and there is just that "something" that makes the picture just "POP." To be a little more... I don't know, specific.. I mean it just feels like you are RIGHT THERE with the people in the picture. Can anyone tell me how this is done? I'm guessing it is done in post processing, but no matter how much I fool with my photoshop, I just can't get it to look like those... I’m still pretty new to the portrait photography world, because most of the work I did before was still-life, sunsets, etc. The one thing that I am having trouble with is this:

You see both of those pictures of the girl in this tutorial?
How in the WORLD do you get them to look so real?
“Real” meaning: so smooth, so clear, so… perfect I guess you could say.
Especially in something like wedding photography. I look at so many professional photographer’s work, and there is just that “something” that makes the picture just “POP.” To be a little more… I don’t know, specific.. I mean it just feels like you are RIGHT THERE with the people in the picture.

Can anyone tell me how this is done? I’m guessing it is done in post processing, but no matter how much I fool with my photoshop, I just can’t get it to look like those…

]]> By: Eddie van der Walt http://digital-photography-school.com/is-portrait-formatting-always-best-for-portraits/comment-page-1#comment-31930 Eddie van der Walt Fri, 11 Jul 2008 19:24:29 +0000 http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/is-portrait-formatting-always-best-for-portraits/#comment-31930 I recently found an article dealing with this and other portrait photography issues at http://www.illustratedphotography.com/photography-tips/top-tips/environmental-portrait Hope that helps too. I recently found an article dealing with this and other portrait photography issues at

http://www.illustratedphotography.com/photography-tips/top-tips/environmental-portrait

Hope that helps too.

]]> By: bogart http://digital-photography-school.com/is-portrait-formatting-always-best-for-portraits/comment-page-1#comment-31904 bogart Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:35:41 +0000 http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/is-portrait-formatting-always-best-for-portraits/#comment-31904 Nice advice, but I believe in a portrait the eyes plays a major role. The shine and color of the eyes can out shadow the rest of the face. Another thig to condsider is the texture of the skin. The skin is not always presumed to be smooth sometime some oil and blemishes add mood to the picture. Nice advice, but I believe in a portrait the eyes plays a major role. The shine and color of the eyes can out shadow the rest of the face. Another thig to condsider is the texture of the skin. The skin is not always presumed to be smooth sometime some oil and blemishes add mood to the picture.

]]> By: Dan Woods http://digital-photography-school.com/is-portrait-formatting-always-best-for-portraits/comment-page-1#comment-17386 Dan Woods Fri, 05 Oct 2007 01:55:01 +0000 http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/is-portrait-formatting-always-best-for-portraits/#comment-17386 You forget to mention the square format! These are neither portrait or landscape. If anyone has any good square pics that resemple emoticons, they should submit them to this contest Norton is doing. I work with them, so I'm ineligible for the $10,000 prize. Here's the link http://www.norton.com/photocontest Good luck! You forget to mention the square format! These are neither portrait or landscape. If anyone has any good square pics that resemple emoticons, they should submit them to this contest Norton is doing. I work with them, so I’m ineligible for the $10,000 prize. Here’s the link http://www.norton.com/photocontest
Good luck!

]]> By: Darren http://digital-photography-school.com/is-portrait-formatting-always-best-for-portraits/comment-page-1#comment-16658 Darren Tue, 18 Sep 2007 13:54:04 +0000 http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/is-portrait-formatting-always-best-for-portraits/#comment-16658 vasanth - check out <a href="http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/how-to-get-shallow-depth-of-field-in-your-digital-photos/" rel="nofollow">this tutorial on depth of field</a> vasanth – check out this tutorial on depth of field

]]> By: vasanth http://digital-photography-school.com/is-portrait-formatting-always-best-for-portraits/comment-page-1#comment-16657 vasanth Tue, 18 Sep 2007 13:33:02 +0000 http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/is-portrait-formatting-always-best-for-portraits/#comment-16657 Hi.. How to make the background out of focus, while focusing on any foregrounf objects? Hi.. How to make the background out of focus, while focusing on any foregrounf objects?

]]> By: Jeff Krieger http://digital-photography-school.com/is-portrait-formatting-always-best-for-portraits/comment-page-1#comment-16650 Jeff Krieger Tue, 18 Sep 2007 07:59:20 +0000 http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/is-portrait-formatting-always-best-for-portraits/#comment-16650 I really like these images. Thx for the tips! Can you share what effects you use to get this look? Love it. I really like these images. Thx for the tips! Can you share what effects you use to get this look? Love it.

]]> By: PLouie http://digital-photography-school.com/is-portrait-formatting-always-best-for-portraits/comment-page-1#comment-16643 PLouie Tue, 18 Sep 2007 00:29:30 +0000 http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/is-portrait-formatting-always-best-for-portraits/#comment-16643 I prefer the horizontal format for most images especially portraits. I do very much like the cinematic feel of movies and taking portraits in the "landscape" format are closer to that respect. A lot of my composition choices for portraits are made by imagining if it was a movie. I prefer the horizontal format for most images especially portraits. I do very much like the cinematic feel of movies and taking portraits in the “landscape” format are closer to that respect. A lot of my composition choices for portraits are made by imagining if it was a movie.

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