Harris Squares - Part 1 (Scotland 2013)

Swapping the camera settings to a square format is one way to change your point of view when taking photographs, particularly when dealing with abstract or close-up work. It allows the main subject to be centred in the frame which often looks uncomfortable in other formats and it is also easier to shift composition to the off-centre thirds with just small change of the camera angle. 

Using the square format was something that I started doing on the Scotland trip in 2013. It helped me expand the range of subjects and photographic interests, having been primarily landscape focused. I found a new sense of expressive freedom from handholding a compact camera that remains with me today.

These days, however, I rarely switch to a square format at the capture stage and I prefer to crop my images as part of post processing. If I do want to compose in a square format I will take a duplicate JPEG and RAW file. This allows maximum flexibility as the RAW data remains unaltered from the camera’s native file size.

On reflection, I wish I had applied the duplicate process whilst taking the following set of images on the Isle of Harris. I can see some of the images working better in the standard format...although I do like the range of subjects that I covered:

Rose

Sand Patterns

Ropes, Nets, and Buoys

Rust

Kelly Gal