The Associated Press has unveiled a compelling collection of vertical photographs captured by its global team of photojournalists, demonstrating how the traditional horizontal landscape of news photography is being fundamentally reshaped for digital consumption. The curated selection, published during the first week of 2026, features images specifically composed for vertical viewing, reflecting the growing dominance of smartphone screens and social media platforms that prioritize portrait-oriented content. This editorial shift represents one of the most significant adaptations in photojournalism since the transition from black-and-white to color photography, forcing photographers to rethink composition, storytelling, and visual impact within a narrower frame. The weekly showcase highlights how AP's visual journalists are mastering this format to deliver powerful news imagery that resonates with contemporary audiences.
Among the standout images is Ariana Cubillos's striking photograph from Caracas, Venezuela, showing an armed pro-government civilian overseeing shoppers lined up outside a supermarket on January 4, 2026. The vertical frame emphasizes both the towering presence of the civilian and the anxious queue of people, creating a powerful commentary on economic tension and social control. Similarly, Matthias Schrader captured Polish ski jumper Dawid Kubacki soaring through the air during a trial jump at Austria's Four Hills tournament, using the vertical format to accentuate the athlete's height and the dramatic arc of his flight against the mountain backdrop. These images prove that vertical composition can enhance rather than limit visual storytelling when employed with intention and skill.
The technical challenges of vertical photojournalism require photographers to fundamentally reconsider the rule of thirds, leading lines, and focal points that have guided the craft for decades. Jordan Strauss's red carpet photograph of musician Audrey Nuna at the Critics Choice Awards demonstrates how the format can create elegant, fashion magazine-quality portraits within a news context. Meanwhile, Andy Wong's image of the Wolf Supermoon rising behind Beijing's holiday lights uses the vertical frame to layer multiple elements—celestial, architectural, and decorative—into a single compelling narrative about scale and celebration. These compositions reveal that vertical photography excels at creating depth through foreground, middle ground, and background relationships.
The rise of vertical photojournalism directly correlates with changing media consumption habits, as over 75 percent of digital news consumers now access content primarily through mobile devices. Photo editors at AP report that vertical images generate significantly higher engagement rates on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and even mobile news apps, where users instinctively hold their phones upright. This shift has prompted the agency to invest in specialized training for its photographers and to prioritize vertical compositions when commissioning assignments. The format proves particularly effective for stories about human subjects, allowing photographers to capture full-body context and environmental details that might be lost in horizontal crops.
The week's collection also includes Ebrahim Noroozi's playful shot of panda cubs at the Berlin Zoo, Ethan Swope's dramatic scene of a runner navigating flooded paths during California's king tides, and Antonio Calanni's emotionally charged documentation of a memorial procession in Switzerland following a deadly bar fire. Each image leverages the vertical format differently—Noroozi to contain the dynamic movement of the cubs, Swope to emphasize the water's depth and the runner's determination, and Calanni to layer mourners against alpine scenery. Alessandra Tarantino's photograph of pilgrims crossing through the Holy Door at St. Peter's Basilica demonstrates how vertical framing can capture both architectural grandeur and intimate human gesture simultaneously.
As news organizations continue adapting to digital-first distribution, vertical photography is evolving from an occasional alternative to a primary storytelling language. The format's success at AP suggests that future photojournalism will require even greater versatility from visual journalists, who must now master both traditional horizontal compositions for print and broadcast while simultaneously creating compelling vertical narratives for mobile audiences. While some purists lament the constraints of the portrait orientation, most working professionals embrace it as a creative challenge that pushes them to see scenes differently and capture fresh perspectives on familiar subjects. The weekly showcase serves as both a testament to this evolution and a training tool for the next generation of photojournalists.
