On image cropping...

[JohnW2607]

Hiya folks.

I do understand that the cropping of ones' images is not only acceptable, but sometimes a necessity in order to make it a stronger image or for other personal/creative reasons. However, I'm sort of confused as to when the decision to crop an image really comes into play.

For whatever reason, and please don't take this in a wrong way, I'm under the probable false impression that cropping is a quick and easy way to get out of failing to frame and/or otherwise set-up the shot correctly prior to actually taking the shot. I've tossed out quite a lot of images that I felt were poor due to bad subject placement (as in the rule of thirds), or just aesthetically unpleasing... that probably could have been salvaged to some extent by cropping the image. For whatever reason, I'd rather toss the image as opposed to cropping it and knowing that I had failed to set it up properly beforehand.

Many times, in various photography magazines, people send in their images for critique, and more often than not, the person doing the critique crops the original image and describes this action as "fixing it... correcting it... will make the image more pleasing," etc. Maybe I take this too literally. It's almost as though the crop, which is "fixing" the original image, was to correct a failure on the part of the photographer in one way or another.

I may just be looking for someone to say, "Yes, it's alright to crop your images regularly," or something to that effect, and since none of my friends are actively interested in photography, I turn to you folks for insight. Aren't you lucky. :P

I'd just like to get an idea what the general consensus was in regard to this, and if all of this can be attributed to my inexperience as a photographer.

Thanks for your time,
John.

[Riff Raff]

I crop probably 95% of my photos before posting them. I shoot theatre performances for the most part (i.e. low-light action) so while I guess I could kick myself every time I'm not positioned exactly right to get "the shot" I'd rather just crop afterward to improve things as best I can. I suppose you could beat yourself up every time you need to adjust exposure or white balance or whatever in post-processing, but I think most people would rather just correct what needs correcting and move on.

[John_B]

JohnW2607,
Well cropping a photo taken with a 50mm lens can look the same as the photo taken with an 80mm lens. A Canon 40D crops a percentage of a photo compared to a Canon 5D with the same lens. Also most photos are cropped automatically (even with 35mm film), ex a 8 x 10" print crops 2" off the original photo.

Because of this I never considered cropping as a manipulation of the photo.

However I try to not crop my photos, I try to get it correct in the camera. But yes even I sometimes/mosttimes have to crop a photo ex. an 8 x 10" or 11 x 14" prints, as it just can't fit on the paper :)

[salexande867]

I find myself cropping everything these days. I got tired of perfectly composing my shots only to have to loose something when converted to the standard 8X10 print. I now allow extra room in each shot so that the printed photo better represents what I was trying to capture.

I am curious how many people take a similar approach.

[PhotosGuy]

However I try to not crop my photos, I try to get it correct in the camera. But yes even I sometimes/mosttimes have to crop a photo ex. an 8 x 10" or 11 x 14" prints, as it just can't fit on the paper Good point. With slides, we had to crop in the cam. Now I still have to remind myself to loosen up a bit. Even paintings get cropped with mats, so I do what I need to do, & don't worry about the "Purists" who measurebate format ratios.

[JeffreyG]

For whatever reason, and please don't take this in a wrong way, I'm under the probable false impression that cropping is a quick and easy way to get out of failing to frame and/or otherwise set-up the shot correctly prior to actually taking the shot. I've tossed out quite a lot of images that I felt were poor due to bad subject placement (as in the rule of thirds), or just aesthetically unpleasing... that probably could have been salvaged to some extent by cropping the image. For whatever reason, I'd rather toss the image as opposed to cropping it and knowing that I had failed to set it up properly beforehand.

Many times, in various photography magazines, people send in their images for critique, and more often than not, the person doing the critique crops the original image and describes this action as "fixing it... correcting it... will make the image more pleasing," etc. Maybe I take this too literally. It's almost as though the crop, which is "fixing" the original image, was to correct a failure on the part of the photographer in one way or another.

You can hold yourself to whatever personal standard you want, but this one seems extreme. I frame an image to the best of my ability, and if I decide it will look better cropped a bit later then so be it. I crop and move on without a thought.

But thats just me. I also like digital because I can shoot in RAW and not think about white balance. Film temperature range and color filters and such were the bane of my existence with film.

[Bosscat]

I only crop them when I print.
I try to get it right in camera, and also allow for the making of an 8x10 print

[stu @ m developments]

I think i crop EVERYTHING i shoot!! :o

[airfrogusmc]

I think you should try to get it as close to right when you shoot. Sometimes I shoot things to be square or a different proportion than the frame allows because it fits the subject better. The finished image is what matters.

[WMWARD2]

It depends on what I am shooting if I need to crop. Pictures of my one year old Chihuahua are sure to need cropping because he is so playful. When I am documenting my genealogy hobby with a camera, I will usually crop out modern objects that always seem to pop into my picture. Nature and macro shots are not usually touched.

[mcminty]

I believe that post-production is part of the creative process. I'll nearly always tweak my images in photoshop to get the most out of what I shot - why shouldn't I?

Cropping is just one of the tools I use.

[notapro]

I'm not hesitant to crop so long as I'm maintaining enough pixels for a good-sized print (8x12 min). As far as when I crop - if I'm shooting kids, I don't go too tight because they're unpredictable and move a lot, so generally need a crop. nothing major, but a little trim here and there. sometimes using my prime, some physical constraint keeps me from getting as close as I'd like, so I crop. Not to the point of making my 50 mm shot look like a 200 mm shot, but a little as needed to tweak composition. Occasionally i have an idea for a pano but I just take a shot and crop it rather than do the photostitch thing. Usually I know when I take a shot whether I'm going to crop it (or with kids I know that I will probably have to crop some).

obviously, cropping for print ratios goes without saying.

[Wile_E]

I do the best I can gettting the picture framed while taking the shot so I don't lose too much image quality by cropping. It's usually not a big deal as long as I'm not blowing something up over an 11*14, which is rare.

Other than that, I don't see any problems with cropping. It also helps me out since I'm always off a bit with the horizon.

[tweatherred]

I crop frequently, basically thinking that I can always crop but I can't go back and get something that I left out. I do try to frame close to what I want and keep the cropping to a minimum in most cases. There are other times when I want to shoot something in portrait orientation but don't have time to rearrange my flash (which is usually set up to bounce off the ceiling) so shoot landscape with the intention to crop it later.