The photo at left of Philadelphia City Hall was taken during a short walking tour I took before a business meeting. As written before, when I am photographing a city, town, or neighborhood I do a lot of walking, miles of walking in fact, so I can see every conceivable view and angle of the area’s notable features. I don’t just take a photo two ways, I may approach a shot 5-6 ways. In this case it was a vertical vs horizontal approach.
The afternoon was drawing to a close and I saw this great pattern of shadows falling on a walkway between some buildings. With City Hall in the distance, I composed my shot and started taking photos.
The second photo below was taken at about the same time. (Please see second photo and additional text below)
I personally like the vertical version more than the horizontal. The vertical captures more of the shadows and height of the buildings. The other major difference in the second photo is a human being is more prominent which I think also makes the image stronger as it adds scale and a point of interest.
I always try to shoot verticals and horizontals, long shots and close ups, wide angles and telephoto versions especially when it comes to photographing buildings. You never know what you are going to miss by cutting of a building a close range with a horizontal angle. When photographing people interacting at an event like a wedding I tend to lean towards a horizontal look. Unless you are shooting very wide its easy to cut off a good portion of someones head or hand when you are shooting people vertically. Plus, unless my subjects are wearing really interesting clothing I find its better to concentrate on faces and reactions.
Thanks so much for dropping by my blog today! Rob
Thanks so much for dropping by my blog today! Rob
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I See Beauty All Around 
I prefer the vertical photo in this case, the lines are great. I always do the same as you and take many shots at varying angles and ways. I think as we adjust the camera, we see the details more clearly and get a better idea of what we want to capture.
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I like the vertical, too, and you got some striking shadows that really add to the photo.
janet
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I really like the vertical one. I think my favorite part (about both photographs) is the reflection of the windows on the ground. So neat! Great shots
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Thanks so much for the nice comment for checking out my blog post!
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Those shadows create an amazing pattern.
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They really do Anne. Thanks for your comment and for visiting my blog.
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I agree with you, with these long vertical lines I prefer the portrait format.
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thanks for the comment Chris!
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My pleasure
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