"Hmmm… You know, most artists choose a horizontal format for a landscape. In fact, a horizontal canvas is often referred to as "landscape." A vertical canvas is often called "portrait."

"Ah! But conventions were meant to be broken! Sometimes a landscape cries out for a "portrait" format! I just don’t think a horizontal format would do justice to this waterfall; after all, it is 620 feet tall!

"And my friend Albert Bierstadt agreed with you too!

"He chose a tall, vertical format which blocks out the width of a scene and dramatically draws your eye upwards. This format is perfect at emphasizing the height and grandeur of Multnomah Falls. Imagine if his painting was wider than tall. The feeling of water tumbling down from the heavens would be lost!"

"I, of course, want to emphasize the expanse of land and sky of the Plains."

How?