It’s time for a composition prompt again this weekend!
Cropping is something I do in post-processing.
Being a firm believer that you need to get the image ‘right’ in-camera (which in turn could lead to a whole other discussion about what is ‘right’…!), I’ll move my feet or zoom in-and-out in order to compose the best image I can before I press the shutter button. To be honest, I’m not thinking about image quality (ie. pixels) while I’m doing this, I’m thinking about making the best image that I can. I’m leaving out the bits of visual-information that don’t add to the visual-story I’m making.
I will crop photos in Photoshop. I’ve been playing with the sqaure and 6×7 format lately – but I’ll only use a crop if it enhances the image. Another situation where I find cropping handy is with photos that I’ve taken at, for example, a school assembly. I can’t be in an optimum position all the time at those sorts of events, because they tend to be very fluid. And sure as nuts, I’ll get a photo of a kid doing something unfortunate.
There’s a whole bunch of rules around composition and cropping as well (think elbows and knees) so I’ve added some links to information that might be helpful!
The Truth About Getting It Right In Camera
Cropping in Photography – An Element of Composition
Photography – Cropping & Framing
Digital Photography Composition & Cropping
and Aspect Ratio: What It Is and Why It Matters
And don’t forget to show us your cropping photo for The Weekend Photo Project. Pop on over here to find out all the ins-and-outs of where and how to share!
