Cropping a photograph

[sleeping_tiger_62]

Is there any "rule" or is it an unwritten practice that when one crops a photograph, one has to stick with the 4:3 or 3:2 aspect ratio?

Or is it a case of "Learn the rules and then forget/break them?" to get the effect desired, be it 1:1 or 5:1 or whatever?

Anyone care to share or comment?

[arogop]

For the most part it depends on what size your are printing out. If you are creating for a digital album it just depends on what you find pleasing.

I print a lot of 4x6's. So I usually keep to that. However if I have a picture that I really like I will try to make a 5x7 or 8.5x11. The problem is that sometimes I can not make a 5x7 and keep the perspective that I want. If that makes sence.

My archives are all 2x3 ratio since that is what comes out of my camera.

[stopbath]

Usually, through economics, the printed image is constrained to the paper size (since frames, paper, mats are all in 'common' sizes, it's cheaper to stick to those formats)

But you'll notice on the forum here, that images are often cropped off the ratios, to fit an image. This is as we don't have paper size limitations on the screen...

To print a photo with uneven margins (say 1/4 inch on vertacle and 2 inch on horizontal), usually means a custom frame and mat job, although you can easily just leave the uneven margins if you make them wide enough (perhaps 3 inch one way, 4.75 another) so that the eye accepts them easier.

I would suggest if the image doesn't require special cropping, just print how you want. If printing on 5x7 means cropping out vital parts of the image, try another paper, or leave ample margins, or custom frame it...

[Radtech1]

Up until the advent of digital the aspect ratio was dictated by the medium. If you were shooting 35mm then you aspect ratio was 3x2. Anything else was darkroom work.

There is a fantastic book called "Ski and Snow Country: The Golden Years of Skiing in the West, 1930s - 1950s" featuring the ski photographs of Ray Atkeson. Remember 30s to 50s - before lifts and before 35mm. (Don't yell, I KNOW they HAD 35mm then, but not as a professional quality medium.)

He hiked up mountians CARRYING his skis and 4x5 Speed Graphic Camera with tripod. That is a nearly square aspect ratio which makes composing very difficult. What he does with it is nothing short of amazing.

Rad

Take a look:

http://www.skiinghistory.org/Kruck1.html

With a 3x2 format, there is a natural "direction" to the frame. Helps to idenitfy and reinforce the direction of the image. With a square (or nearly square) format you loose the direction of the frame and have to rely on the image alone to identfy flow. In other words a good eye has to be even better to avoid "static" images. One thing I find interesting is that often as not, the action travels along the short axis of the image.

[SoCal69]

Up until the advent of digital the aspect ratio was dictated by the medium. If you were shooting 35mm then you aspect ratio was 3x2. Anything else was darkroom work.

There is a fantastic book called "Ski and Snow Country: The Golden Years of Skiing in the West, 1930s - 1950s" featuring the ski photographs of Ray Atkeson. Remember 30s to 50s - before lifts and before 35mm. (Don't yell, I KNOW they HAD 35mm then, but not as a professional quality medium.)

He hiked up mountians CARRYING his skis and 4x5 Speed Graphic Camera with tripod. That is a nearly square aspect ratio which makes composing very difficult. What he does with it is nothing short of amazing.

Rad

Take a look:

http://www.skiinghistory.org/Kruck1.html

With a 3x2 format, there is a natural "direction" to the frame. Helps to idenitfy and reinforce the direction of the image. With a square (or nearly square) format you loose the direction of the frame and have to rely on the image alone to identfy flow. In other words a good eye has to be even better to avoid "static" images. One thing I find interesting is that often as not, the action travels along the short axis of the image.

The images are fabulous! I particularly like the bus/lift conversion... very cool!

[Radtech1]

[quote=Radtech1]
There is a fantastic book called "Ski and Snow Country: The Golden Years of Skiing in the West, 1930s - 1950s" featuring the ski photographs of Ray Atkeson. Remember 30s to 50s - before lifts and before 35mm.

He hiked up mountians CARRYING his skis and 4x5 Speed Graphic Camera with tripod. That is a nearly square aspect ratio which makes composing very difficult. What he does with it is nothing short of amazing.

Rad

Take a look:

http://www.skiinghistory.org/Kruck1.html

quote]

The images are fabulous! I particularly like the bus/lift conversion... very cool!

This is my favorite:

http://www.skiinghistory.org/Kruck5.html

If I didn't know, I would say that that is the most FAKE looking movie set I have ever seen.

Hmmm, so real it looks fake.

Rad