I’ve always known that the camera I use dramatically effects how my pictures look !
I had almost forgotten this simple basic observation due to my almost exclusive use of APS-c sized sensors , I shot 6 x 6 cm format from a early age and used 6x6 and 5x4 cameras for most of my working life .I don’t miss the costs of running either of these camera systems but I do miss the purity of the 1:1 square format that TLR’s and “Blads” enabled .
I crop to square shapes all the time but that’s not the same as seeing & shooting square, using my square eye’s !
I was admiring the work of Peter Mitchell recently , the centralised composition and simplicity of approach he adopts really took me back to how I and many others used to work , somewhere along the way I shook off this simple pure approach !
I’m not sure that the all singing and dancing clever clogs compositional techniques we adopt are any better than this very simple stripped back way of working ?
It’s easy to forget how simple this photography thing can be , sometimes the subject does not need any help , it can speak for itself, given enough space !
This simple objective approach is a fun way to shoot but care should be taken to select suitable subjects and ensure the lens is square to the subject in order to maintain straight horizontal & vertical lines .
The dynamic strength of the square aspect ratio should not be underestimated , the square shape forces the eye to move around the surface of the pic in a circular way rather than the side to side view of the landscape format . The compositional rule of thirds also becomes more effective within the square shape .
A shot from my A48 project.
The digital camera or phone you already have might offer a 1:1 aspect ratio , its worth checking the menu to see !
Shooting the whole frame and cropping it later will certainly work but remember that this square approach enables you to use the sweetest part of your lens, which I’m sure is part of the square eyed appeal !
That’s it, I managed to get through this blog without saying less is more , …oop’s !
Check out the work of Peter Mitchell and give this square survey approach a try , you might surprise yourself !
Stay safe and keep it real / square …