When would it be best to choose a landscape orientation?

Answer 1

The terms portrait and landscape orientation are largely self explanatory. When you want to photograph a subject and specifically highlight the subject's appearance, portrait orientation is generally best. If you are shooting a scene where there are several points of interest roughly along horizontal dimensions, or where it would seem natural to use a wider lens to capture left and right elements together in the shot, then a landscape orientation is generally best. The photographer begins composition at the moment she/he shoots, and the choice of orientation will be reflected in the photographer's instinctive and almost instantaneous positioning of the camera at the moment of shooting. With standard SLR camera formats, a photographer's hands will hold the camera on the left and right sides when shooting in the landscape orientation, and when the photographer is moved to initially set the shot as a portrait, you will see the photographer hold the camera with one hand above the other.