Changing Aspect Ratio In-Camera On Location for Landscapes

Landscape Photography  •  Photography Tips

Modern cameras are packed with helpful features. However, despite being useful, some features might be buried deep inside the camera menu. Or maybe they might be hiding in plain sight because you don’t pay enough attention to them, or because you’re unaware of the functionality. In today’s video, landscape photographer Mark Denney takes you through a camera feature that’s potentially a game-changer, even though you could have been ignoring it all this time:

“There aren’t many camera settings that I’d consider to be real game-changers, but this is one setting that I’d made an exception for.”

Modern cameras come with an option to let you change the aspect ratio on the viewfinder and LCD. You might want to check whether or not your camera has this feature.

How many times have you tried to crop your landscape image to a different aspect ratio, only to realize that doing so has inadvertent side effects? This usually happens because you have no visual reference to guide you on the field. By enabling and using the feature to change the aspect ratio, you can quickly visualize and conceptualize what different types of crops will look like in post. Referring to the guides, you can quickly recompose the image to include more of the scene that you like.

“It can be very beneficial to actually change the aspect ratio in-camera while you’re on location. It really helps with the overall creative process.”

Deviating from the usual 3:2 aspect ratio of a full-frame or APSC sensor can be a simple yet effective way to freshen up your photography. Be sure to check if your camera supports this feature—if it does, make full use of it.