There are several reasons why I don’t like 8×10’s but the main reason is that the proportions are not natural or pleasing. The 8×10 dimensions which are the same proportion as 4×5 and 16×20 were inherited from the sheet film used in those big view cameras, where the photographer had to go under a big cloth just to be able to focus the image on a glass plate. There are 4×5 inch and 8×10 inch view cameras, though they are rarely used nowadays. The 35mm film cameras and modern digital cameras both produce images that are much more rectangular than the 8×10 shape. Perhaps you’ve experienced having to chop off both ends of your image to make it fit the 8×10 crop. Fortunately modern labs now print 4×6″ proofs which are the same 2×3 proportion as your camera. To show the entire image, the 8×10 would have to become an 8×12″ print. I sell lots of portraits in that size because it makes more sense. But most amateur labs don’t offer them to you.
Personally, I just find the rectangular shape to be more esthetically pleasing. If you think about it, that’s the way we see all the time because our eyes are side by side. Of course it’s the shape of the movie theater screen and your flat screen TV.
And then there’s the square print…but that’s the subject of a future post.
Here’s a short video that graphically demonstrates why cropping to fit an old fashioned shape is a big FAIL.
