The format for pictures posted on Agent Insight is horizontal, or landscape.  If a photo is submitted in vertical/portrait orientation, we do our best to crop it to landscape, but only if it can be done without compromising its quality.  When one of our staff members  has to crop a vertical shot, we frequently wish that you, as the photographer, were standing beside our computer to help make the decision.

Take a look at this wonderful beach picture submitted from the Alabama Gulf Coast.  Feet in the sand, followed by a long sweep up the beach to the green ocean water and blue sky. This is such a good picture — just a glance brings to mind the pleasures of sun and fun at the beach.  However, the photo is far too vertical to fit in our prescribed format.  Our choice was to either use the top half, showing sea and sky or crop the bottom half showing the  sandy toes.  We chose the bottom half of the picture because it presents a whimsical little story that can be appreciated by anyone who’s ever enjoyed sitting by the shore.

Control the Finished Product

Both of the photos above could have been taken vertically, making them subject to dramatic cropping.   Instead both of these agents made good choices in deciding how to take a photo of a very tall subject.   Left, Beth McGeorge, RE/MAX Jefferson City, framed the picture of the Missouri State Capitol  exactly as she wanted it shown, picking up details of the dome instead of shooting its soaring height.   Scott Shaker, RE/MAX Grande, Grand Blanc, MI, captured an interesting angle of the tall church tower on the right.  Although he stood close to the building and looked up its height, he still took a well framed horizontal photo.

We want your pictures to be shown exactly as you intended.  Make this possible by using a horizontal perspective when you shoot them.