Smartphone Photography: Why Horizontal Beats Vertical

Smartphones equipped with cameras have changed the world, by putting high-quality, digital photography in the hands of millions of people. 

People can now snap pictures and instantly share them with the rest of the world via email and social media. We'd like to suggest a way for the masses to use that technology to its fullest, so we can take full advantage of your pics. 

It's time to turn your phone sideways and shoot photos and video horizontally.

Why? We have a couple of reasons - including one that's selfish. Modern HD televisions are 16 by 9. Horizontal photos are great for this - vertical, not so much.

We post your photos on Facebook and Twitter, and sometimes we use them on the air. The only way to use a vertical photo is to either crop the heck out of it or shrink it down. So please, when you see a scene that would make a great picture, turn your camera sideways and snap away. We thank you and the other viewers do, too. This is even more important if you're shooting video!

We're not saying you should NEVER take a photograph vertically. Some photos do look better when they're shot that way. But most photos, from sunsets to storm clouds to wildfires and even your family's picnic look better when they're shot horizontally.

We love your photos, whether they're of breaking news or interesting or touching moments from your lives, and we thank you for sharing them with us.