Travel photography tips: Cropping Posted on 17 June 2011 Great composition is critically important in making images with impact. All things being equal, getting it right, or very nearly right, in the field is the best way of making great images. No matter how well you compose in the field, however, images can generally be improved with a little tightening through cropping. “˜Noooo,’ I hear the purists howl and, in some ways, I agree with them. Obviously I (and probably every other photographer out there) dream of shooting that one perfect image “˜in camera’ – no processing, cropping or any other adjustments required. Sadly that’s a rare event. Cropping is not a new digital phenomenon. If you study the prints and negatives of the forefather of landscape photography, Ansel Adams, you quickly realise that his final images were often the result of significant cropping during printing. Adams spent as many hours in the darkroom processing and printing as he did photographing and is quoted as complaining he had many lifetimes’ worth of images. Digital processing just makes the process infinitely easier and more widely accessible. Here are three basic things to remember when cropping To increase the importance of the subject without making it obvious that you have cropped the image, keep your cropping frame in the same ratio as the original – typically 4:3. Be careful how much you crop: the more you crop, the less resolution is available for enlargements or prints. If you decide to break the typical photo dimensions, do so dramatically for maximum effect. It looks weird when the crop is almost 4:3, but not quite – you’re left with a picture that simply feels odd. Panoramic and square are comfortable extreme crops. Related Posts Photographing the Fairest Cape 29 July 2021 In winter, sunrise at a reasonable hour, the landscape is green, the fynbos is flowering,... read more Add a splash of Spring colour to your photos 21 October 2020 The countryside is popping with floral colour. GARETH VAN NELSON looks at how to include... read more What the F-stop is this? 21 October 2020 Sometimes the most fun you can have with photography is when you let go of... read more PREV ARTICLE NEXT ARTICLE
Photographing the Fairest Cape 29 July 2021 In winter, sunrise at a reasonable hour, the landscape is green, the fynbos is flowering,... read more
Add a splash of Spring colour to your photos 21 October 2020 The countryside is popping with floral colour. GARETH VAN NELSON looks at how to include... read more
What the F-stop is this? 21 October 2020 Sometimes the most fun you can have with photography is when you let go of... read more