Okuzeka
Photography vocabulary · Composition

Orientation

Meaning in photography, with examples

/ˌɔːriənˈteɪʃən/nounCore term

In photography, orientation means: Whether a photo is taller than it is wide (portrait orientation) or wider than it is tall (landscape orientation).

In Turkish: dikey ya da yatay kadraj, fotoğraf yönü, çekim yönü

How it is used

Clients and editors specify it in briefs: “We need both orientations” or “vertical for Stories”. Here vertical and horizontal mean the same as portrait and landscape. Magazine covers are almost always in portrait orientation.

Example sentences

  1. Shoot every setup in both orientations so the designer has options.

  2. The cover needs portrait orientation with space at the top for the title.

Common collocations

  • portrait orientation
  • landscape orientation
  • vertical orientation
  • horizontal orientation
  • aspect ratioThe relationship between the width and the height of an image, written as two numbers such as 3:2, 4:3, 16:9 or 1:1.
  • framingDeciding exactly what is inside the edges of the photo and what is left out, and where the subject sits in the frame.
  • portraitA photograph of a person or a group in which their face, character or mood is the main subject.
  • landscape photographyPhotography of natural scenery such as mountains, coasts, forests and skies, usually showing a wide view of the place.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Composition

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: