The 4:5 image aspect ratio, a very versatile format in photography and digital media, is particularly well-suited for mobile devices and platforms prioritizing portrait-oriented content, such as Instagram where the images are scrolled vertically. The format allows for a visually appealing presentation that maximizes the device's screen space, which in turn, enhances visibility and engagement.
In photography, the 4:5 ratio, borne out of the traditional film format from where it was first adopted, is perhaps the most traditional film format, where it gained prominence when popularized by photographers who used 5×4 film in large format photography, orientated horizontally for landscapes, or vertically for portraiture.
With its unique visual characteristics, the frame strikes a balance between width and height, making it suitable for content from portraits to product images. It allows for a balanced composition with key elements of the image centered within the central area of the frame. This helps to contain the eye movement in a circular motion within the center of the image, as opposed to the left-to-right or up-and-down movement with images in rectangular frames.
The format is recognized and remains a standard for art prints, with 8x10 or 16x20 inches prints. Though the image aspect ratio is not normally found as an option for frameset settings on digital cameras, images can still be captured digitally, and edited to fit the format later on the desktop editor.
Many photo editing tools allow users to easily crop images to fit the 4:5 ratio without significant loss of quality. By planning shots with this aspect ratio in mind, photographers can avoid extensive cropping during post-production, thus preserving critical elements of their images.
For photographers with a vintage digital SLR with an APS-C sensor, say a Canon EOS 300D mounted with a legacy Pentacon Auto 50mm 1:1.8, as in the case of the photo shoot seen here, the advice is to compose the images to fit this aspect ratio in-camera before cropping them later. This will ensure that the intended framing is preserved when the image is cropped.
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