Cinematic Aspect Ratio
I have a confession. I’ve gotten a bit bored with 3:2. It’s the standard aspect ratio for most cameras, including my Sony A7RIII. It’s started to feel a bit stale. I’ve somehow convinced myself over the years that I’m locked in on 3:2, while only occasionally venturing into a vertical 4:5 for portraits every now and then. MAYBE 1:1 in specific situations. But lately, I’ve been trying out proper cinematic aspect ratio and I love it. That’s 2.39:1. Super wide, but it really makes your photos feel like a still from a movie. Of course, it doesn’t work for every situation, especially my photos of old gas stations and abandoned buildings where I’m being super intentional with my 3:2 composition, but there are a lot I really love in 2.39:1. I’ve found it works best for relatively minimalist subjects with significant negative space, if you have a lot of overhead with room to move the frame, or if there’s a lot of symmetry (almost Wes Anderson-esque).
The only downside is that since everyone’s looking at their phones, it’s completely useless for posting on social media. (But maybe that’s a good thing, I don’t know.)
Here are a few of my shots re-composed to cinematic ratio:
