ASPECT RATIO AND FOCAL LENGTH

Discover how the size of your camera’s sensor, and the lens you choose, can play a big role in the composition of your images

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It would be easy to think that when you take a picture you’re completely in control of how the landscape will appear in the frame, but in many ways, you’re locked into a predetermined aspect ratio. This could be the aspect ratio of your camera, or the aspect ratios of typical print sizes, although of course, these are generally pretty similar.

Your camera’s aspect ratio is determined by the design and size of the electronic sensor inside the camera body. An aspect ratio of 3:2 is pretty standard in digital photography, and it’s a popular print ratio too, but some camera manufacturers, such as Olympus and Panasonic, implement different aspect ratios, as their native images come out at 4:3, so your composition would need a different approach than if you were using the standard 3:2 ratio.