Hip To Be Square! Show Us Your Square Format Photographs.

Abstract - Pretty Pastel

between 2

Besides showing your great "square" work. How about a couple notes about the format. Is it something you uses all the time or just for special subjects? What do you like about it?

For myself the square is something I have ignored in the past but find that it can be a great way to offer work because it scales so nicely. Buyers can find mats and frames easily.

My Rolleiflex used to take square 620 pictures but I never liked the format. However, now I have grown quite fond of it.

I have a gallery dedicated to squares. It is neither here nor there, it generally looks awesome in 2's or more, otherwise if hung as a single, it looks uneasy on top of your central livingroom couch and is oftentimes relegated to hallways or other small secondary spaces. Moral, buy 2 or more. -W

http://pixels.com/profiles/wing-tong.html?tab=artworkgalleries&artworkgalleryid=67322

So the square wants to be a rectangle by matching up with some friends? ;-)

~ Carmen Hathaway

Many Thanks!

I have loads of square images, some things just look better cropped square.

I have a few squarish pics, but not dead squares.

Hiya Edward,

This may not look square but the original painting, with all its background is square.

But why? What is it about the square? For one thing, centering the subject in the middle seems to work better with a square.



But then again, rules of thirds works too...

Nice work comes in square formats! That's a compliment to those above me on the thread. Here are some recent squares of mine that I hope you enjoy:

Interesting how a few of the above divide the square into two right triangles.

Love all the Square format images....this is my newest upload.
Thanks Edward

Cheers, Barbara

The following four I made as a tetraptych for a exhibit I had. I sold it, and had another buyer for the same print.

I think the square format really makes one want to put the main subject dead center. The Square gives little leeway for things just slightly off center. Its almost like you have to put it perfectly in the center or make it obvious that you didn't intend it to be in the center. Too easy to line up the imaginary diagonal lines in a square.

I thought this image worked well in a square. The ramp leading from the lifeguard shack echos that imaginary line that divides a square into two right triangles.

This one is exactly what you've mentioned Edward....off center.

Cheers, Barbara

Steve Stephenson "Fist" above really shows the power of the square as a device to emphasis the main subject. The fist hits you head on. It would have lost its "punch" in a horizontal as there would be too much room to duck or swerve to avoid the impact.

Barbara - good illustration - just off center enough so that the view knows you meant it.

Love the square format photos! Here are a few of my favs.








Matt Matekovic
www.photoarts.com

I am not comfortable in working within the shape, but here are some covers of some of my galleries. :D

I only have a few, so I will have to try some more this year:

It's one of my favourite ratios..

I ladore square for painting as well...it is a real challenge. My latest show has 24 squares and only one 3:4 ratio.

I love the square format, and have a gallery full of 'Squares' (plus more square in my Kaleidoscope galleries)!

http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/wendy-stchristopher.html?tab=artworkgalleries&artworkgalleryid=193701

Some things to like (love!) about square-format art:

- It's a fresh, contemporary shape. Well suited to modern/contemporary decor (traditional decor, too, with proper frame choice.).
- A square looks great displayed with other squares, rectangles. or other shapes. Square provide visual solidarity to montage- or gallery-walls.
- Want to display art above a single, vertical item like a chair, chest of drawers, large potted plant, bookcase, etc? Grab an appropriately-sized square!
- Empty wall space above a long, low, sofa? Yep . . . multiple squares to the rescue! Two, three, four, or more!
- Square shapes provide necessary visual balance in an eclectic or chaotic space -- especially a single, large square.
- Squares caress the art held within, providing a feeling of gently-held security on all sides, instead of the sometimes-claustrophobic or abrupt long-side/short-side, imbalance of rectangles.
- Squares rarely occur in nature, giving them a sense of being 'special'. Square art feels special for much the same reason, as many common objects are rectangular.

*Tip -- Always add 'square' to your square-art keywords and description; it's one decorators might search for. Square matting and framing is becoming easier to find, so decorators are willing to use the shape more often.

Now, in honor of the thread title (even though this is obviously not a photograph --

It depends on how the image looks best and what type of crop it needs, if any. Lately I've been doing more 8x10s, and even a few 16x9s, simply because it's best for the image, lends the look I want, and resolves any problems. Some favorite square images (thanks for asking):

That's it here, most of my square are on InstaPrints.

Looking through all of these great squares my eye keeps seeing the diagonal composition where the image reinforces a line that dissects the image into two triangles.

Wendy offered some great ideas for decorating with square pieces - photography or painting.

Also the circle with in the square comes up. The eyes move around an image and in the square, there is not place to get caught up so the eyes continue to scan around in a circle. So subjects with circles are a natural fit.

Lesley brings up one of the most celebrated uses for square designs - Album and CD covers! Of course, how many times have we listened to music and looked some great album covers over the years?

My pretend Elvis album cover:

Did some of these to go in a grouping - encouraging buyers - plus they would look great together. Working with textures lately. Bird is off center, twinkle is too and the white daisy (which I did because I was dying to do a very high key look). The dog....I think this is really a snapshot and I was about to pull it then it sold for a second time...so guess I'll keep it!





Shoot....I had more squares than I thought!

The pink Cadillac pic is nice Edward! Some of my architectural composite "stars"

Good old 6x6 film....


I don't think they are inherently any more or less cropable than 35mm format but the size of the film gives you a lot more "megapixels" to work with.

I don't think anyone has mentioned the old Polaroid instant with its square format.

I love the idea of grouping squares! I just think they look great that way!

The image below is set as a tryiptych...but I think it looks great as separates (and I offer it here that way as well)!



Matt

Tryiptych are great ways squares can become rectangles. Even better if purchased separately so they can be spaced out on wall.

Sometimes the subject screams out SQUARE ME!

Very cool Luke! Reinforces the circle of eye movement created by the square!

Here is another image where the composition cuts the square on the diagonal forming two right triangles. Form a dotted line from the sun to the burning sugar cane and you get a neat diagonal slice.

What a refreshingly creative thread Edward! Fun to look through the different images.

This one I ended up cropping also... Happened on it by chance in my old apartment and thought it looked cool.

I just did a search for mine since I try to remember to put "square" in the keywords. Came up with 37 though about half a dozen aren't square crops but instead rectangular crops of subjects that have squares in them (like a checkerboard pattern or a town square). Some of the square crops are, as noted, centered subjects and several are circles or at least roughly round. But I don't think the majority of mine fit either criterion.
1) four squares in a square with centered subjects; obviously fits both criterion
2) although there is a round shape in this one, it is not the main subject and neither is centered anyway
3) another with a round shape that is neither centered nor the subject; actually, this one doesn't really have a subject



I do agree that squares frequently beg for a partner, either another square or a rectangle, to "dance" with :)

My squares:

Square just make so many things easier - pricing seems to make more sense, framing is easy...

I stayed in a Hampton Inn this past weekend while traveling for a group photography show I was in and noticed - Squares, Squares, Squares! All of the artwork in the hotel, in the lobby, in the elevators were in the square format. I guess its hip and modern to have squares!

Most of my square stuff is collages:

I've just realized that I need more square formatted images. Out of 300+ images I only have 3 that are square.



Okay....the chair images are pretty close to square. :)

I don't have a lot of squares. Maybe 1% of my portfolio. Something I need to explore more!

Love the square!

Love squares!

I miss this guy. He was my neighbor for about a year. I used to walk Tiki by him just about every day and sometimes he would run over and check us out. He must be hamburger by now.

I'm glad you brought up this topic, Edward. I see all sorts of possibilities for the use of squares in decorating. Grouping in twos or fours, or more is one example. But also picture a small chair in a bedroom with one framed square image just above it. Nice.

Some of these might need some work to get them more square.

My first and only 1:1 aspect ratio image in my portfolio.



Cheers!

New square image -

Giving this a bump, as squares are a hot topic again.

Some bodacious square hep cats have been posting here recently. I've been square recently also. As a matter of fact, these are some I am proud of, but what do YOU think?:
http://fineartamerica.com/featured/pale-orchid-on-cream-barbie-corbett-newmin.html
http://fineartamerica.com/featured/cocky-too-barbie-corbett-newmin.html
http://fineartamerica.com/featured/karens-rose-barbie-corbett-newmin.html
http://fineartamerica.com/featured/three-doors-in-bagnoregio-barbie-corbett-newmin.html

Path in the dark forest:

Fractal art with jewel colors:

I love square, but as mentioned before, it is not as easy to compose to that format. But it can work very nicely and makes for a bit of a different look. The last shot shown above is not quite square (but almost), but I shall be cropping to a perfect square having seen this thread

I'm starting to do some squares, too. Here's just a few of them.

Sometimes the square is the most potent delivery of an image.

This is a series called The Six Senses. All square format and comes in black and white too

Cheers, Barbara
btw love this thread with all the fantastic square format prints.

Bike In Black White And Red No 2

Just One Drop - A bright red tulip close up on a rainy spring day.

This isn't a perfect square but kinda close blown up...

Was working with some different techniques of redesigning a photo to an abstract using different software programs. Ended up with this new square early this morning.

My dimensions of choice in photography and painting.

Two versions - one is perfect for your decor!

New square format tractor photography
http://fineartamerica.com/featured/old-tractor-black-and-white-square-edward-fielding.html

As I share this round rose in a square format, I am extending an invitation to check out this photography group:
http://fineartamerica.com/groups/the-200-club--photos-with-over-200-views-up-to-500.html

I don't have that many square format images, but when the crop suits the image in terms of composition, I go with it. Here are my three most recent square uploads. I think the strong diagonal of the light on the sea lion's back and outstretched head is well suited to placement in a square frame. The diagonals in the flame skimmer are more subtle, but the square crop left enough space in front of the insect for "breathing room" while not overpowering it with blue. The reason for the square crop in Handles, Flanges and Pipes is less compelling. Most of the additional "real estate", on the right, was uninteresting; I found that it simply cluttered the image while the tighter square crop focused attention on the three circular handles.

My granddaughter Nicole's picture had to wait 10 years before posting because of too much noise. But Topaz DeNoise did the trick, I'm happy to say.

I found another square piece:

Thanks for the thread!

Sold this one recently -

Edward,

With your leading comments I feel like I am in a paid class, good leadership skills! I liked this urn so three is a good balanced composition



Then I was able to get one more out of it, thus the square format in another color variation although I am not completely happy with sharpening under the textures in an attempt to bring out the details. I over did it, also I had to enlarge the rusted texture to a huge size to account for the large sized format of the three urns and I'm not sure it is effective in the square format.

Long, long ago in a place far away...

I used different sizes over the years. I do like abstracts on a square surface and have been starting to do more on other sites.

I quite like the look of square format and so try to include some in all of the artwork I do....straight forward photography through to digital only work

Do you shoot your squares in camera or crop after? My point and shoot - Panasonic Lumix LX5 has a selective aspect ratio right on the lens. Unfortunately it too easily moves around. But I typically crop after using Adobe Lightroom.

I shoot a lot of verticals, leaving space on the top and bottom so its easy to convert into squares on a lot of my images.

Best practice would be to leave all image manipulation on the computer side... it will give more flexibility.

Posted this morning:

This one just begged to be square.

Edward, Thanks for everything here. It is easier for me to crop afterwards!

This is an Asphalt Nebula but rendered differently than I normally do...

I came across these two baby pigs on a logging road the other day. I'm not sure if they are feral pigs or if they belong to a nearby farm and got loose...

A couple of new squares:

I don't often crop to square - although I do like the format.




I have a whole gallery devoted to the square format on my digital abstract artist website

This is my third post to this thread and after my second I realized I had enough square crops for a gallery, so I created one. It contains 41 images :) This grouping is all butterflies, three different types. I do think the roughly triangular shape of the folded wings as in Jeweled is particularly suited for a square crop and in all of these it's the diagonal, subtle though it may be, that makes the crop work IMO

Interesting, Art Wolfe on a recent CreativeLive said he doesn't like the square or any crop that isn't in a 35mm dimensions. Doesn't want to show that it was cropped. Must be a pride thing among photographers to each other because I doubt the customer cares.