Which One? Portrait vs. Landscape in Photography
There can often be some confusion when discussing portrait and landscape in photography. These terms can refer to three different topic areas of photography: orientation, genre, and camera mode.
Because of this ambiguity, it’s important to be aware of these meanings and know the difference, especially when it comes to today’s digital age.
Portrait and Landscape Orientation
When one photographs in portrait orientation, the photo is shot vertically, causing the photo to be taller and narrower. Conversely, when one photographs in landscape orientation, the photo is taken horizontally, making the photo shorter and wider.
The orientation of a photo is entirely up to the photographer, but there are some elements to consider when choosing how to position a shot, such as the subject, scene and purpose.
Subject: Ask, “What is the subject of the photo?” Whatever the answer is, that subject is usually what photographers aim to primarily capture in the frame. It is up to the photographer to decide what to include or exclude in the frame, in order to make the photo visually interesting or appealing. In addition to the physical angle, distance and focus of the camera, a photographer must also choose if a landscape or portrait orientation would best suit their photo and subject.
Scene: Photographers should consider what is in the background of the photo. How much of the background should be included? Does it add or take away from the subject? Keeping this in mind will help one decide whether to use portrait or landscape orientation, which can help balance the subject and the surrounding scene, making a photo stand out.
Purpose: Think about the message or feeling that you wish to convey through the image. This idea of a photo’s purpose can help guide how to orient and position the shot, in order to achieve one’s goal.
Another important element to think about is the medium for which the photo is being taken. If the photo is for a mobile platform, a portrait orientation will most likely be most effective, since it will fill the tall and narrow screen of a smartphone. If the photo is going to appear on a television commercial or YouTube video, a landscape orientation will be better suited for the given format. Sometimes, the photo may need to be square (like on some Instagram or Facebook posts,) so how one chooses to shoot the original photo can vary, as it can be later cropped to fit the appropriate size.
Portrait and Landscape as Genres
The terms “portrait” and “landscape” can also refer to the style or genre of photography.
Portrait photography features pictures of people, commonly known as portraits or portraiture. In this genre, the photographer works to capture a person’s appearance, personality, style, attitude or essence in the image. However, portrait photography can also feature pets or some objects or products as the photo subject. Usually, the environment surrounding the subject is not as important in portraiture, instead, the focus is all on the subject being photographed. To achieve this look and feel, photographers often use a shallow depth of field to blur out the background and bring more focus to the subject in the foreground.
Nowadays, this genre commonly can include more than just people as the subject. Portraiture can feature pets, which is often seen in pet-related brands promoting pet adoption, pet food, pet care and other goods and services for our furry friends. In addition, this can also stem into product photography, using the same aspects of portraiture to bring emphasis to a company’s newest arrivals, most popular products or the latest innovation.
An example or portrait photography, or portraiture. Courtesy of AGP Photography.
In landscape photography, the focus is more on environments… or landscapes. This can include city skylines, ocean views, mountains, or any other scenery in the world.
This can often be seen in photos for travel agencies, airlines, hotel booking sites and other brands associated with adventure, travel and exploration.
An example of landscape photography, featuring the mountains and lake in Interlaken, Switzerland. Photo by Gabriella DiPietro.
While the photos above show a portrait shot in portrait orientation and a landscape shot in landscape orientation, that may not always be the case. When it comes to photo genre, the orientation of the photo does not matter much - that is a stylistic choice a photographer can decide upon. There are many instances where a portrait will be shot horizontally and a landscape will be shot vertically (see below.)
Delphi, Greece. Photo by Gabriella DiPietro.
Portrait and Landscape as Camera Modes
On most DSLR cameras, particularly beginner cameras, there will be a variety of shooting modes and options, including portrait and landscape modes. Even some smartphones possess several shooting modes. Portrait and landscape modes offer photographers an easy way to toggle between different camera settings, allowing their camera to adjust based on what it thinks they intend to photograph and how they intend to compose the scene of the photo.
In portrait mode, usually indicated with an icon of a person’s profile, the camera (both for DSLR cameras and smartphones) thinks the photographer is going to shoot a subject, have that subject fill the frame, and want the photo to be bright and well-lit. This mode will usually set a wide aperture to create a blurry background, causing the subject to stand out.
This can be an effective way to emphasize a person, product, or even a service that is being advertised because the shallow depth of field brings more attention to the subject. It can bring attention to a model wearing a dress from the newest Spring collection; a ring on one’s finger; or even the newest hairstyle, cut and color provided by your local salon. By bringing attention to the details in the foreground, photographers can emphasize the subject and appeal to the consumer audience.
An example of portrait mode on a DSLR camera. Courtesy of AGP Photography.
In landscape mode, usually indicated by an icon of a mountain, the camera thinks the photographer is going to shoot a scene and want most of the photo, if not all of it, in focus. This mode will set a small aperture to create a deep depth of field, minimizing blur and bringing more of the frame into focus. With more of the photo in focus, viewers can get a better context or sense of place, which, for a scenic photo used to promote travel or exploration, that’s kind of the point, isn’t it?
An example of landscape mode on a DSLR camera, featuring the mountains in Delphi, Greece. Photo by Gabriella DiPietro.
These pre-programmed camera modes can be quite useful, however, they do have their limitations. For that reason, many professional photographers prefer to compose their shots manually. By shooting manually, photographers can have complete physical and creative control over their photos and can adjust the conditions according to their needs or desired look.
Which is Better? Portrait or Landscape?
When it comes to photo shooting and presentation, is portrait or landscape better than the other? Honestly, no.
There are no hard rules when it comes to photography, so the decision regarding which photo orientation, composition, photo genre, or camera mode a photographer uses is completely up to the creator. It simply boils down to one’s vision and what they hope to achieve.
Again, it is important to keep in mind the media where the work is going to appear, as this can influence how a photographer shoots their photos in order to best fit platforms’ parameters. Will the photo appear on an Instagram story or Snapchat? If so, you may want to use a portrait orientation to best accommodate phone screens, which are taller and narrower. Will the photo appear as a banner ad? Then, a landscape orientation may be best.
Key Takeaways
Portrait and landscape are generally known terms, but few people realize the fact that they can refer to several different aspects of photography. Having a thorough grasp of these concepts (orientation, genre and camera mode) can not only help you become a better, more knowledgeable photographer, but can also broaden your creativity and approach to your work to up your game when it comes to digital marketing and media.
So, when trying to decide which orientation, camera mode and genre or style in which to photograph, be sure to stop and consider the following factors:
The message. What are you trying to convey? How can you best convey it?
The subject. Are you photographing a person, an object or a scene? Is the subject taller than wider, or vice versa?
The background. How much of the background do you want to capture in the frame?
The focus. Should there be a deeper or smaller depth of field?
The medium. Where will the photo appear? Are there certain sizes or parameters that must be met?
Your style. Your photographic style is completely yours, and yours alone. Only you can decide what works and how to apply the rules and guidelines of photography… or when to break them.
