Cropping

CROPPING

You’ve just taken this great picture capturing all the detail in the scene and now when you look at it it’s suddenly lacking that spark of the better photo that it could be. It’s turned into the little photo that could.

What happened? There’s either too much distraction in the picture or the subject is suddenly uninteresting. Here are four examples of cropping:

EXAMPLE 1

Before

After

The cropping method used here to get rid of any distractions (this being the horse and the leftmost window pane) and to focus the viewer on the subject. The lighting on the couch and on the curtains is what gives this shot an added feel.

EXAMPLE 2

Before

After

While the subject matter is interesting, it’s too far back and doesn't focus on the direct subject matter. “Cropping in” was used to zoom in on the subject and make it the focal point of the picture. "Cropping in" is the official term used for this procedure. Keep in mind, you want to always try and shoot at max megapixel res so that you have the flexibility to crop in without losing too much detail.

EXAMPLE 3

EXAMPLE 4

Lastly crop using the rule of thirds! These are the final crops from the original images. I'll let you imagine where the lines are.

While striving to avoid cropping is ideal, it can be used to save a picture or to make it something more. Also, if you are intending to print your pictures, keep in mind cropping may make it harder to fit onto standard print sizes such as 4x6 or 8x10. As always with photography, try to think ahead and control the outcome. Enjoy.