How tightly do you frame your shots & and do you crop?

[Random Orbits]

... but I've been told even better - the alleged pro photog I'm ranting about in this thread told me not only that real photogs never crop, but also that of course he never needs to do it. And he was using a prime lens but almost never moved a foot! That's when I realized the guy is an idiot and I'd better double-check whatever he tells/told me

Brilliant! Misdirection at its finest! Did you catch sight of his assistants climbing over the fence to get closer while he calls attention to himself by bloviating?

 

[Marsu42]

Also what about aspect ratios? Are we then supposed to be slaves to our cameras' sensor size?

My impression: Yes! The still world seems to be seen through 2:3, just like everything moves in 16:9 nowadays. I really like to re-frame my shots, but I seem to be one of the few people who does that looking around, and I'm always feeling mighty "noobish" doing it.

But talking of cropping: for 2:3->16:9 I usually take two shots, one with more space to one side, because cutting a center-weighted subject to the side of 16:9 ("wallpaper-style") looses a lot of resolution.

 

[fugu82]

I find myself framing too tightly on occasion, probably from all those years of shooting reversal film. Then I kick myself when I run out of space trying to correct perspectives.

 

[ugly_bokeh]

Some time ago, I've been told by an alleged pro photog that real photogs don't crop, or at least only do minor angle correction. I am wondering if this is true, or it is an old-school fairy tale from the analog age that falls into the category "real photogs don't use auto iso and only shoot in full m".

...the alleged pro photog I'm ranting about in this thread told me not only that real photogs never crop, but also that of course he never needs to do it.

I wonder how he handles alternative aspect ratios...maybe he just re-sizes to fit? That could be interesting....

 

[DJD]

Do any of you guys ever print your photo for framing? An "8x10" mat covers .25in. on each edge of an 8x10 print. I've found it really helps to have some extra space around your subject to account for that and/or cropping it for different aspect ratios prints ( i.e. 4x6 or 5x7 or 8x10 or ...?).

There is no way to "frame it perfectly in the camera" and account for all these cases.

Cheers,
DJD

 

[alexanderferdinand]

Cropping is nothing evil.
Even if some of the icons like HCB liked their prints uncropped its sometimes necessary.
Otherwise an angle correction would look worse than before.
Or how do I get the "golden ratio" (1:1,618)?
If it is going to be framed this is something to think before printing.
Yes I crop!

 

[ablearcher]

Every time I frame tight on a subject, I go nuts when i get to the part of my workflow when I have to print.

Cropping is just a part of the process, no big deal really...

 

[Valvebounce]

Surprisingly, there seem to be a lot of serious injuries by this very method - all in the cause of perfect p&s or mobile phone shots, of course :->

I stood for several minutes at a zoo waiting for the silverback gorilla to turn round and grab the arm of the idiot that was prodding him through the bars, I thought that would make a killer photograph! :
I think I have the print of the guy prodding the gorilla somewhere which I took just in case the gorilla needed defence evidence! 8)

Cheers Graham.

 

[FTb-n]

So, all those pros who shot 2 1/4" square format film Hasselblads, never cropped?

I do try to frame things perfectly in the viewfinder, often to my chagrin. I have to constantly remind myself "what if I want an 8x10?" Sometimes a nicely framed 2x3 perspective image will crop nicely to a 4x5 perspective. Sometimes, I have to back out a bit to allow for cropping.

Sports is another are that I often crop. I always shoot single-point focus and try to bump the focus point around the viewfinder to accommodate my desired framing. But, there are times when the action is too quick and I resort to the center focus point and crop later.

Real photographers use the tools available to them to get the image that they seek. Cropping is just another tool.

 

[Don Haines]

Some time ago, I've been told by an alleged pro photog that real photogs don't crop, or at least only do minor angle correction. I am wondering if this is true, or it is an old-school fairy tale from the analog age that falls into the category "real photogs don't use auto iso and only shoot in full m".

I shoot a lot from a canoe or a kayak and it can be a challenge to keep the camera level as you are being bounced around by waves.... straightening horizons is very necessary for me.

In bird photography, very often only the center part of the image is on the target.... cropping becomes very important..

 

[Don Haines]

How about sticking your hands through the fence so you can get a closer shot. That would be good.

Surprisingly, there seem to be a lot of serious injuries by this very method - all in the cause of perfect p&s or mobile phone shots, of course :->

I take it you must be using a zoom of some sort.

I'm thinking of macro wildlife here, you can adjust the framing a lot by moving a few inches with the prime macro lens. But yes, for the rest I use a 70-300L zoom and often zoom around until getting the best framing, and if it's at the long or short end I move myself.

I seem to recall someone visiting a zoo who climbed into a pen with a polar bear to get a better shot and ended up feeding the bears instead....

 

[m]

Photography is cropping.

 

[Skirball]

That was deep.

 

[Rocky]

Some time ago, I've been told by an alleged pro photog that real photogs don't crop, or at least only do minor angle correction. I am wondering if this is true, or it is an old-school fairy tale from the analog age that falls into the category "real photogs don't use auto iso and only shoot in full m".

I shoot a lot from a canoe or a kayak and it can be a challenge to keep the camera level as you are being bounced around by waves.... straightening horizons is very necessary for me.

In bird photography, very often only the center part of the image is on the target.... cropping becomes very important..

Agree. For these situations, it is hard to frame the picture correctly. It is wise to leave room for cropping.
However, We should avoid cropping when ever it is possible to avoid wasting of pixels. Why buy a high mp camera and use only half of them??? Do we want to turn a 5D into a 40D??

 

[Rocky]

Photography is cropping.

So in the good old days, Slide shooters are not photographers????

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I always try to leave room to crop. Sometimes too much room, but its still better than cutting off part of the subject. I was photographing the horse riders at our local Grange Trail ride Sunday using my 24-70 MK II and 5D MK III. I would have preferred a longer zoom, like the 24-105L, but I gave it a go with the 24-70.

The riders usually do not stop for me, sometimes they smile. They also sometimes group together so I end up unable to get individual shots, or crop different persons out of a group.

The 24-70 images were so good that I could easily crop different riders out of a photo and have a usable image. I did it in previous years with the 24-105L, but I really like the results from the 24-70 MK II.

 

[verysimplejason]

Whatever works as long as IQ isn't diminished by so much.

 

[Loswr]

Do any of you guys ever print your photo for framing? An "8x10" mat covers .25in. on each edge of an 8x10 print.

Sure...and it turns out you can crop in post-post.

On the wall in one of the kids' rooms is an 11x14" frame for which I had ordered an 8x10" print...I wasn't paying attention, and the frame as purchased was matted for a 5x7" print. Before running out to get a new mat, I tried the 8x10" print under the 5x7" mat, and decided it was an improvement; my wife preferred the tighter framing, too. Fortune favors the bold...and apparently sometimes the inattentive.

 

[docholliday]

I've cropped the hell out of some shots, printed them 40x60, and gotten paid by the customer without a problem. They thought the shot was perfect...and that was after a > 50% crop out of the frame. The viewing distance for the prints was > 10ft, so the about 100ppi wasn't noticeable.

When I shot Hasselbad, I cropped. I even had a mask that replicated the frame edge markings on the crop so that the end result was still "full frame". I've also cropped every rectangular format (including pano 4x10s) out of that square. I miss those days, never having to turn the camera!

 

[luckydude]

it is of course OK to crop, rotate and fiddle with all the things PS and the others let you fiddle with. But I still believe you´ll become a better photographer if you try to frame things right from the start.

One other consideration is for stuff like commercial sports or weddings where you are doing it cheap. If you have to post process you are losing money.

I don't do that sort of work but I know people who do and I was surprised to learn they shot jpeg unto they explained that post processing cut into profits.