UKC

What's your preference on photo orientation?

For example, this:
http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/extreme-photo-of-the-week...

..or the same photo flipped 180 degrees?

Is there a definitive 'better' shot or is it just down to personal preference?

In reply to Jake:

Given the biner's orientation, I think it works.

I'm also impressed with the Ron Fawcett quote...

In reply to london_huddy: an awesome shot, either way!

In reply to Jake:

QI. Having flipped it right around the clock my feeling is that best impact is the way it is with the crab on the right. All the space is below the climber both literally and in the shot. Next best is to have the crab at bottom of the frame

In reply to Jake: Happy with the orientation, some of the other aspects less so. I'd say whatever position gives the most impact/drama is correct. Seeing as we're out to impress.

In reply to Jake:

Actually, there are four ways. Because the shot is looking straight down, it works almost equally well whichever side one has at the bottom.

In reply to Gordon Stainforth:

Actually I'll give Jake the benefit of the doubt and hazard that he knows that. His "either way" comment was w.r.t. his own OP which specifically mentioned the comparison between the photo as published and the photo rotated through 180 degrees. That does not inherently disavow the existence of other orientations. Pay attention at the back!

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Oh, gosh, sorry sir! I wasn't sure why he put his question like that, that's all. I was referring specifically to his OP.

In reply to Gordon Stainforth: Handbags ladies ...

In reply to Jake:

Inside out is best

In reply to Jake: I always thought this was pretty simple, but thats probably just me rather than it actually being simple!

| (c)
|
|
|(x) (b)
|
|
|______ (a)

Quite impressed I managed to draw that so easily...right,

climbing wall is the left vertical line of "|", climber marked (x)
horiztonal floor/sea in this case is "_______"
potential photographer's positions are marked in 3 places for example with (a), (b) and (c)

If the photographer is standing at the bottom right corner of the above diagram, position (a), then we would all agree (?) that the rope should be coming from the bottom of the frame and rising to the top of the frame.

Likewise in position (b)

I don't understand why this should change when the photographer assumes position (c)...as in the photo posted.

I'm not getting at anyone here but there was a photo in the galleries where there was a heated debated about the "right way up"...although there is something for saying whichever way has the most impact I think.

Interested to here any thoughts on my theory!

In reply to James Dunn: I see what you mean... I think both orientations have their merits, I guess it's just down to personal opinion!

In reply to James Dunn:

I think that's perhaps too simplistic; sometimes when shooting from position (c) you want to read the climber's face / eyes in context ie the right way up and this can become more important than achieving the 'standard' orientation. This might be more pertinent to bouldering shots. IMO.

In reply to Fraser: I know what you mean, but personally I think all those shots have been orientated incorrectly!

The first definitely, the second I think needs a 90 degree rotation and the final image I think illustrates your point best, but I still think it needs flipping 180.

If the whole focus of the shot is on the climber's eyes and facial expression, which I think is almost, but not quite, the case in the final image, then I can see the logic in having a climbing shot with all the other lines wrong in order to have the face right, but otherwise I think it makes sense as I described it above, I know it makes it easier to connect with the face, and if this is the sole point of the shot then great, but most of the time I feel climbing shots are about climbing; i.e. shape of body, ropes, rock, exposure, atmosphere and those are more important than the climber's face (in most cases in my opinion).

Would you accept my logic, if you could in fact call it that, in the above diagram makes sense, apart from where the focus of the shot is to engage with the climber's face at the expense of losing the exposure etc? Or were you proposing something else?

Just interested...

For example if you showed the last image to a non-climber as it is I bet they wouldn't think it was 8a+, whereas if it was flipped I think it has a lot more impact...?

In reply to Jake: The crab is hanging down, her hair is hanging down, the belayer is below her, her arms are reaching up.

Irrespective of any other elements, the photo defies gravity in any other orientation.

In reply to DancingOnRock:

Hmm, I think we'll have to disagree there. There's probably a reason they made the top 200 photos after all! I'll have a closer look though and see how they appear when rotated.

In reply to Fraser:

I'm guessing that there are reasons. I'm just suggesting if we're talking rotation there's a fair bit not quite right.

I'll go
1- 90 clockwise
2 - 45 clockwise
3 - 95 anticlockwise

I don't have ability to freely rotate at the moment, they're close approximations.