Vertical is eating the world and I'm not sure landscape shooters should care

I read a Substack article yesterday titled "The Digital Fig Leaf," and while the starting point of the piece was a different theme, the content parallels your question.

Must artists, of any stripe, shape their work to fit the algorithm (or format) to be seen—and hopefully supported—in a world where screens, not galleries or books dominate.

It's an old question, do we create for the market, or do we conform to it to be seen?

I'm torn too.

Is art a form of expression or a mean to validation?

Should artist express themselves through their work or camouflage who they are in anyway necessary to satisfy the seasonal tastes?

I go where the scene, the light, and my creativity take me; if it sells great, if it doesn’t oh well… Whatever the result, at least I’d know that I shot my best shot, not the shot the trends dictate.

But that’s just my opinion

I always try to shoot both angles if I can. This way if I need to use a vertical, I will have it. I do not change how I shoot just so something can be posted vertical. If you are a ASF member you also know that the website usually post square images on the welcome page, which can be a challenge, especially if you have your images signed.

I've been shooting landscapes for over 5 years, and most of my images are landscapes. I am only just setting up my website now with ASF to start selling, so not sure about what will sell more, but I can't imagine I will change my format all that much given landscapes tend to be naturally suited to a landscape format! If anything, it might sway me towards taking a few more portrait scenes to include in my portfolio, but definitely not replacing what I enjoy capturing when I am out in nature and see a beauiful scene in front of me :)

Che dire è assurdo pensare che la ricerca stilistica di un artista debba essere veicolata dalle esigenze di visualizzazione dell' utente, ci sono concetti che vanno espressi in un certo modo e sono intimamente legati alla sensibilità di chi li esprime, non si può ridurre tutto ad un discorso commerciale perché è la strada giusta per distruggere l'arte e il creativo....

You can go big, big, BIGGER with horizontal and vertical panoramas!

Let your passions guide you, the money will follow.

You have a very good point and as an artist who paints acrylics, I never thought about it, it gives me pause because I always select my canvas more horizontally. Unless I'm doing a dyptich then it's always vertical. What a problem to have!

I personally would stick with what you sense is right for the composition. Fashion rarely stays for long!

Wear the suit that fits.

Malcolm, The orientation that seems to work best for your work, is horizontal. The amount of information you lose by going vertical is significant. I think you want to see the forest not just the tree.