Cropping Photos

like most things there are no real rules - but there are probably 4 ratios that are common

4:3 - the native ratio of a 4/3 camera - and standard definition TV

3:2 - the classic 35mm film format ratio

1:1 - Square format - used by old medium format film cameras

16:9 - the widescreen TV format.

probably more important than the ratio is to make sure the elements in your picture fit in the right place. A good rule of thumb is the rule of thirds

Rule of thirds - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Its an excellent starting point in deciding how to crop

cheers

K

 

I'm no expert, so just my opinion, but I thought about that myself, and came to the conclusion that I should crop to whatever gives the most pleasing result. The only downside is that if you print and frame sometimes an unusual frame size is needed.

All the best,

Colin

 

+1 on Kevin's post!

 

Some purists say one should always try to get the shot in-camera, and not crop. I feel one should always try to get the shot in-camera, but crop if necessary. It's not always possible to zoom with your feet, I don't always have all my lenses with me, some shots just scream square, but my (digital) cameras don't have that aspect ratio, etc.

Printing is not an issue with cropping, but finding and making right mat and frame is. It's either tedious, time-consuming and/or expensive for non-standard aspect ratios and sizes. And those standards are different in Europe than in the US - might be even different in UK.

FWIW I crop when necessary and don't pay attention to standard aspect ratios. I print most of my keepers, but rarely mat or frame them.

 

If you plan to get a quick print from a self-service machine in a supermarket (where a choice of aspect ratio is generally not given), a 2:3 image will suffer from practically no cropping.

 

I probably crop the majority of my pictures by some extent - but I almost always crop to the proportion of the original picture... I shoot from the hip a lot of the time so cropping and straightening is part of my workflow

cheers

K

 

Jamie,
Don't adhere to an aspect for cropping. Make the image the way You see it.
Then, make a mat to a certain aspect and your good.

 

Don't forget 6x7! Though I usually shot 6x9 since it is the same ratio as 35mm.

I have seen photos cropped in every size imaginable, including irregular, trapezoid, round, oval, etc.

The question should always be asked "does this crop make the photo better?".

 

If you make say, a 7 1/2 x 9 image and float it on an 8x10 or 11x14 paper for example, it doesn't matter. They print on the paper size and never interfere with the image.

 

Every shot I crop two times: first crop is best for picture, and I dont care for ratios, and second (if picture is really good) on 16 : 10 ratio - on monitor, like wallpaper. Why I crop? simply because of vertical and horizontal lines ...

 

Well I didn't know this before and my camera was a set to 4:3 so when I printed them, I lost some of the image which was not a big deal, except for when I framed the subject really thight. Now I know to set the camera to 3:2 and always use a set value (3.5x 5, 4x6, 8x10)for the intended print size when cropping. It saves me a headache.

Also I use the grid lines when taking the picture so I know what to position where. But don't take it from me, I started with photography 3 months ago

 

You have to be careful with framing by zooming, ,since it changes perspective which changes the message of the picture. Same with cropping, of course.