Vertical and horizontal frames

I took numerous photographs in vertical and horizontal formats and have included three pairs of them above.

I tried not to let the restriction of the project make me only consider tall subjects although the vertical format naturally lends itself to tall subjects. An example of this is the photograph above of the standing stones of Callanish on the Isle of Lewis. The vertical format in this case is more dramatic but does however give less context as to where the subject is in relation to the background compared to the horizontal format. I think this could be an advantage or disadvantage depending on the nature of the photograph. The vertical format does allow the photographer to give more prominence to the subject without unwanted elements being included in the photograph.

I did find a tendency, as mentioned in the exercise to position the main weight of the subject in the lower part of the frame as shown above in the photo of the two cottages.

I can see the benefit of trying both formats. It was interesting to read in Michael Freeman's "The Photographers Eye" that we tend to shoot mostly in a horizontal format as that is the way cameras are designed and what is most comfortable for the photographer. He also makes the point that the human vision naturally allows us to see the world in a horizontal way. I will however endeavour to try taking more vertical shoots!