Cut the Crop!

[Ed Vatza]

I have a question about cropping which may ultimately point to a hole in my understanding of the process particularly as applies to print.

While I obviously don't print every image I make or even post, I do most often crop with an eye toward print size. So I will crop to a 2x3 ratio if I think the image would look good as as a 12x18, for example. Often I crop to an 8x10 or 11x14 size ratio.

When I post the image here, the head barber :D and her assistants are often suggesting I take a little off the top or a little off the sides or even try a buzz cut and go pano. I can see the "go pano" to some extent. But the little off the top/little off the sides begins to distort the proportions (unless, of course, I make adjustments all around) and I am hesitant to do it even though the barbers suggest it would make the image stronger.

So I am curious as to what you folks do? I find it hard to believe that every image you print is a different size.

And just in case you just think I am being defensive, I will re-post my "philosophy of life" as it pertains to photography.

1) I take my photography very seriously.
2) I don't take anything so seriously that I can't laugh, joke and have fun.
3) Learning is a lifetime process. When we stop learning, we stop living.

Have a great day!

[Tell Dickinson]

Hi Ed, interesting question. If I am printing anything I will crop to 'standard' ratios e.g. 10*8, A4, A2, 30*20 etc to give the most pleasing (to me) photograph at that size. However when I post on the internet I will crop to what I think is the best composition for the relatively small internet posting size regardless of aspect ratios and will not even know what aspect ratio I end up with :)

Tell

[Harshad Barve]

Hi Ed, interesting question. If I am printing anything I will crop to 'standard' ratios e.g. 10*8, A4, A2, 30*20 etc to give the most pleasing (to me) photograph at that size. However when I post on the internet I will crop to what I think is the best composition for the relatively small internet posting size regardless of aspect ratios and will not even know what aspect ratio I end up with :)

Tell

Ditto Tell here

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Ed,
I thought I was head barber;)! I will always try to keep standard proportions but not at the expense of the composition. If you are trying to use standard frame sizes you can always adjust the mat board slightly.....or even go as far as making one side bigger at the base for pano crops......otherwise there are so many custom sizes readily available that I just crop to what i like. We all know that 5x7 & 8x10 are pretty common frame sizes yet none of the formats fit that easily so I never consider frame sizes.....just my method and I think Tell has the right idea.....the final aspect ratio for posting here shouldn't matter.

Good philosophy especailly at 7am! BTW as many people in landscapes can attest...... my favorite tool is still the crop tool!:eek::D

[Julie Kenward]

I agree with the others...I always crop to what I think makes the composition the strongest if I am posting the image online. I have also seen MANY a photographer make a very decent living with images that never fit the typical sizes - some even go very small with a huge mat to fill the typical frame size - that way the person can still buy a normal size frame but get a specially made mat.

In the end, I'd much rather have an image with a balanced comp than a balanced size ratio...

[Roman Kurywczak]

BTW Ed.....loved the title of the thread!!! Every time I scroll by I make sure there's an a missing:eek::D;)!

[David Smith]

I always try to crop to the composition.. If it is a standard 5X7,8X10 or whatever that is fine, but I like the image to look it's best. Remember, you can always print it and cut the mat to the print when you frame it..

Dave

[LouBuonomo]

For most images I stay standard.. but I like panos. If I'm printing and spending ink and paper I go for best comp and have the wife deal with the Mat cutting :P

[Dave Mills]

Personally I never pay attention to the image being a certain ratio. I crop according to what makes the image the strongest. It's just a simple adjustment in cutting the mat opening...

[Mike Milicia]

I stick almost exclusively to the 2x3 aspect ratio for several reasons. First, I tend to prefer it from an aesthetic standpoint to other ratios. It is also how I "see the world" in the camera and I attempt to compose as much
as possible in-camera to maximize the resultant image resolution to allow for the possibility of larger print sizes with the ultimate goal of no cropping at all (not reached as often as I would like :().

Also, from a practical standpoint, when I decided to start selling prints with no intention of ever cutting my own frames, mats, or glass, I really needed to standardize sizes early on so I could order precut framing components in bulk to save money and to increase flexibility.

Some images are more challenging than others but, so far, I have found it to be very rare that I cannot come up with a pleasing composition using the 2x3 aspect ratio. As far as posting on the web, my goal is to get valuable feedback from others to learn and to improve the quality of my end product. Since I intend to market the images as 2x3, I therefore want feedback on the 2x3 compositions that I come up with and I post accordingly.

I try to objectively assess suggestions like "take a bit off the top" and I often agree with them, but I find that I can usually address the underlying issue (i.e. too much space at the top) and still maintain the 2x3 ratio by also making adjustments to the space at left, right, or bottom.

[Dave Mills]

There is really no definitive answer on this accept what pleases you the maker. If you don't mind cutting mats it affords one all types of possibilities and increases flexibility.

[Ed Cordes]

I prepare images for print considering the mat opening I will use. This generally works out to be 8 1/2 X 11, 11 X 14 and 13 X 19. i will occasionally do a pano, but then will have to cut a mat for it. This often means my leaving a bit of room for crop when I frame an image during capture.