Get it right in camera?

So I just delivered prints and electronic media to a client. They are quite happy but the groom texted me 'just wondering' why his head is cropped off in some of the images. Primarily the images of the first look and of them together before the ceremony. Answer: he's bald and I felt that not having a big, bulbous blob of flesh at the top of the image would make the composition stronger.

I told him I'd look through my catalog and try to send him a few for comparison so he could decide if he likes them better uncropped. Thing is, I'm discovering looking through Lightroom that I 'got it right in camera' but doing my cropping by my composition. I guess I'm going to have to write him back and eat some crow

Perhaps its better to be a little more zoomed out than you thought you'd need to be? Other comments about the 'get it right in camera' philosophy?

"It was an artistic decision".

Sure do that in a few images if you like, but getting the whole person in for most images would be a reasonable expectation. It applies to family photos as well, people still like old formats like 8x10 so you should leave space at the edges of the image.

K thanks. Yes I left space for cropping on either side of the family formals for 8x10s.

I left his head alone for the first dance and some of the more romantic ones at the end of the night. I guess I just started out all up in the biz i.e. in your face, ergo crop happy.

Do you think he doest know that he is bald and what he would look like in photos ? My opinion. Your opinion is wrong. Shoot it for the best composition, leave enough room to crop into the file for artistic purposes if the groom asks you to do so. I would not go down that path.

umphotography wrote in post #17745953
My opinion. Your opinion is wrong.

This. Don't try and second guess how someone feels about themselves. Bald people tend to already know they are bald.

Some bald people like myself are also bald on choice, would not be to happy if a photographer decided to crop off a good chunk of my head in photos.

Shoot looser in the future, that is a disease I have. I always find I am cutting off heads, arms, etc. Cut off limbs and body parts like heads just isn't something that looks very nice either, except in very staged creative shots. Also if a bald head looks bad in your photo, then it may be that either your WB is off, or your exposure, or both.

Well he has a square jaw, and I felt like cropping off a few inches above his brow line in a few of the thoughts kept things square and masculine looking.

20 & 22megapixels on a full frame is plenty forgiving for a crop so I guess I'll give myself more leeway in the future, but I thought that the hallmark of a big time pro is nailing a hole in one on every single shot.

Silver-Halide wrote in post #17747352
Well he has a square jaw, and I felt like cropping off a few inches above his brow line in a few of the thoughts kept things square and masculine looking.

20 & 22megapixels on a full frame is plenty forgiving for a crop so I guess I'll give myself more leeway in the future, but I thought that the hallmark of a big time pro is nailing a hole in one on every single shot.

its not about how you feel. He obviously wants to be shown as he is. Crop in post for portfolio all you want but dont let your art ruin their day.

My old photography instructors back in the day always told us to shoot loose so that you had room to crop how you like. That was using Blads though so you often had to crop anyhow.

Silver-Halide wrote in post #17747352
but I thought that the hallmark of a big time pro is nailing a hole in one on every single shot.

...the hallmark of a pro is someone who can deliver what the client is wants. The only reason to "nail every shot" is for bragging rights on facebook. Your client doesn't care how many shots you missed or if you had to do a bit of cropping in post.

banquetbear wrote in post #17747559
Your client doesn't care how many shots you missed or if you had to do a bit of cropping in post.

I crop about 90% of my images in post.

memoriesoftomorrow wrote in post #17747608
I crop about 90% of my images in post.

...hallmark of a pro.

I probably crop closer to 9%. I probably level another 9%. Most are as-shot, with RAW adjustments.

ive learned to stop with the getting it right in camera and leave myself extra room to crop later. i'd rather have the creative freedom in post.