Thank you all for your considered comments to date. I’m glad I am not yet in a minority of one!
I note with interest Marin’s views and it reminds me that I really must pay attention when looking visually and just check I am seeing what my brain is telling me I do see. Chris has summed it up for me, the convention comes from an era that probably pre-dates photography and we have come a long way since then. But it is important to be clear when presenting an image to avoid any potential audience misunderstanding, so as long as the direction is obvious either from the image or the information provided with it then that is sufficient. I’m happy to accept that directors of sections may prefer their images presented conventionally and to go along with those that do, but otherwise I will gently continue to presnt them the way that seems as logical to me as the way we present images of the Moon.
Peter