Gastown in the Rain in 21:9 Aspect Ratio

I like shooting in the rain because it adds a bit of mood to the image. As long as my camera is easy to hold, shooting while its wet isn't too cumbersome. That's the beauty of the Ricoh GR series cameras, as they are designed for one-handed operation. Its perfect for shooting with one hand, while holding an umbrella with the other.

The above shot was taken in Gastown in front of the Flying Pig restaurant. I liked how the bike was parked, and I liked the two guys sitting at the window eating. I think the movie aspect ratio of 21:9 works perfectly here, as it gives an open feeling to the image. 

I use to think 16:9 was wide, perfect for watching DVD's on my TV, and when I got a 16:9 ratio screen laptop, I was hooked. I eventually got use to shooting in this aspect ratio on my Panasonic LX-3 as well. However, I recently upgraded my laptop to Toshiba's U840W/U845W with an ultrawide 21:9 aspect ratio 14" screen. This is an insanely wide screen! I can have a full browser screen open, and still have enough room to have LINE running beside it.

Anyway, what I didn't realize is that most movies that are shown in 16:9 on TV was actually cropped from the original 21:9, the most common movie aspect ratio (2.35:1 is the proper way to show this ratio). When watching movies on TV that haven't been altered, we should see two black bars along the top and bottom, maintaining the original aspect ratio. This is why images that are cropped to this aspect ratio looks cinematographic in nature.  You'll see me using this aspect ratio more often on certain images. 

Let me know what you think with your comments below. I'll stop typing because my wife will complain I write too much...but I'm writing for the nerds. Hello nerds. It's nice to know I'm not alone... 

P.S. I just started posting images to Instagram. If you already subscribe to my Twitter account, you'll get it automatically. Enjoy!