There are two orientations for a rectangular photograph: portrait or landscape, where “portrait” stands for a vertical, and “landscape” for a horizontal orientation. These labels are not exactly neutral, however, because they also indicate two different genres of photography. Therefore, they inevitably suggest that portraits are typically shot vertically and landscapes are typically shot horizontally. In other words, these labels also reflect the power of habit in photography.

Shallow depth of field, and the so-called “3D pop” effect that comes with it, tends to get grossly overused as a creative feature, especially in portrait photography. That typically starts when beginner photographers purchase a relatively affordable 50 or 85mm lens with a large maximum aperture. Such a large-aperture lens gives ample opportunity to throw the subject’s background out of focus when used wide open, especially at a relatively short focusing distance. This tends to work well when shooting portraits because it isolates the subject from the background. It is this much desired “pro” look that may also give beginners the delusional feeling that they are making progress with their photography. As a consequence, they tend to shoot wide open all the time. I have done this as well. Abundantly.

Of all photography genres, landscape often strikes me as particularly dogmatic and, therefore, not very creative. If I’m in a cynical mood, I tend to see landscape photography as a genre that is primarily practiced by middle-aged, white men with big cameras and heavy tripods, who firmly believe in minimal ISO, stopped-down apertures, wide-angle lenses, neutral density filters, long exposures, panorama stitching, focus stacking, and exposure blending. They are also obsessed with location, timing, and the weather. They prepare meticulously and are full of expectations. When the moment is there, they fire off numerous exposures of the scenes they have envisioned beforehand. If things go right, they return home satisfied with the trophies they have collected. If not, they are deeply disappointed. I’ve been like that for a while.

If there is one thing in photography that I find really challenging, then it is color editing. Probably this is because the perception of color depends on so many characteristics of a photograph — like color palette, color temperature, exposure, and contrast — that things become confusing very quickly. Fortunately, I’m gradually finding my way around, thanks to some inspiring photographers on the web who are generous enough to share bits of their editing process.

I just jumped from Wix to Squarespace to rebuild my photography website. Not that there was anything wrong with my old website, but after eight years of using Wix, it was time for something new. I had heard a lot about Squarespace through reviews, advertisement, and sponsored messages from photographers I follow on YouTube, so I thought I would give it a try.