A portrait: Which way? H or V?

[mtbbrian]

I have been thinking about this portrait I did a few months ago.
My initial feeling was for the vertical one, but lately the horizontal one has been on my mind.
Which is the better one?
Thanks!!
Brian

[bobbythebandit]

I like the vertical one but in both you have cut of top of the head.Why ? has he a flower growing out of the top.? Show us all of the head.
Bobby

[Sebastian]

Brian, great crops on the head. They create an intimate, in-your-face kind of feeling, like he's about to bust out of the frame.

I like them both, the vertical being preffered to me. The horizontal feels a bit more uncomfortable due to how close his face is to the right of the frame, it just feels a bit cramped, but I still like it.

[gahspidy]

Sebastian,
I like the vertical shot more as it has more energy, excitement, color, just seems a bit more exciting. The horizontal shot is good in it's own way. The subject gives the impression of motion or speed to me with his beak style nose and hat on backwards, just looks aerodynamic.
The crops are good. As a matter of fact, if one were to look in recent issues of many sports magazines or entertainment genre you will see lots of crops just as yours. It's an " in your face" style. Works well here. Good work

[natatbeach]

I like the colors and the reflection (of you) in his glasses and just the overall fel of it ...like he's getting ready to go somewhere do something...just my 2

[shutterman]

the color and overal composition is much better in the verticle one. i like it very much.

[mtbbrian]

The in your face look was I what I was going for.
You have to see this kid ride, he is just incredible!
It is always nice to have some validation on your instincts.
Brian

[gahspidy]

Brian,
Sorry for the mistake of replying to you as Sebastian. Must have been sleepy during that post.

[mtbbrian]

Brian,
Sorry for the mistake of replying to you as Sebastian. Must have been sleepy during that post.

Gary,
I figured you were talking to me.
You could have gone back and edited your reply.
The new software allows for that. The edit button is at the bottom right corner of your post.
Thanks for commenting!
Brian

[ThoughtfulPirate]

Vertical definately. I like the red shirt and vibrant colors much better in the vertical version. Its berrecloth right?

[mtbbrian]

Its berrecloth right?

Andy,
Yes it is Darren Barrecloth. I grabbed this one just after the "awards ceremony" at the 2003 Red Bull Rampage. He was unable to compete(MAJOR BUMMER) due to an injury.
He was just standing around, straddling his pink Big Hit.
Camera was Nikon D1X, with 80-200 AF-S.
Brian
Ride On!

[Lava Lamp]

V - without a doubt.

[mosesma]

I like the vertical one better, but yeah the horizontal one nags at you visually.

By the way, this old timer cameraphone in the movies once said that to frame shots optimally, you had to remember the four T's - throat, ****, testicles and toes. An extreme close up he'd frame with the head cropped severely and at the throat below. A typical closeup was with a slight crop at the head and ended at the nipples. A normal shot was cropped above the head and below the waist. And a wide shot was cut at the toes... never the knees. Supposedly, this was because of two factors - first, when we are naturally speaking with another human being, our intimacy is guided by social distance, and these rules for framing approximate the natural "feeling" of the eye in conversation gaze. Second, after 100 years of using these techniques in the film business, the average human has become accustomed to these techniques of visual language and expression, which is now firmly embedded in something called "standard film grammar". Doing anything else would then feel "not normal", and would break the flow of continuity.

On the other hand, rules are made to be broken, hence films like Memento and Irreversible...