https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2541504?start=0&tstart=0
It sounds like it is a pretty common issue, where there is some flag or tag added on the image that says how to rotate it, instead of actually reordering the pixels in the image. For the image you are trying to render, you could go and take the format you are trying to use, and see if there are any extra flags you could check and have Qt do the rotation.
Sounds like cppguy knows of a library that can let you check these flags.
EDIT Found a better description for it:
johninsj - Re: iPhone 4 Photo's & Video Rotating Sideways In Email
Nov 2, 2010 1:45 PM (in response to VibrantRedGT)
Apple sets the jpeg meta tag for orientation when you shoot a photo,
so if you hold the iphone upside down, or sideways, etc, the image
(which is shot upside down or sideways, since the camera is upside
down/sideways) knows it needs to flip/rotate the image when you look
at it.
Not all software honors the rotation settings. Gimp (which runs on
everything, and is free) does.
You can rotate images and save them, or learn to shoot photos with the
iPhone in the correct orientation for non-rotated images. That would
be with the home button to the right as you look at the screen.
Hope that helps.