Struggled with the crop

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vpchic

vpchic

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This was a challenging one for me - I cropped and saved 5x as I just couldn't decide. What would you have done. Crop and original here.
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I think the eye is naturally drawn to the frame, especially the corners. You placed the brush top left in a way that cut off more or less equally the corner. This is usually considered distracting and I think to my eye it is. I guess I would include more of that brush to let it fill the whole left side or pull further in to eliminate it.

Same idea bottom right. As shot that branch grow out of the corner, which really draws the eye in a distracting way, but the crop cuts off the corner, also distracting, and emphasises that it is a foreground object so I'd maybe clone it out or squeeze in tighter to get past the branch, or squeeze in a little and then clone.
 
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Cute expression on the fox, looks curious. I think the crop is ok, anywhere you put it there will be some issue. The stick at the bottom right, however, as a diagonal, leads the eye out of the frame. The top left is also somewhat of a diagonal and leading the eye across and out of the frame. There are a few leave above the fox that pop into the frame and are distracting to me. I’d probably take out the few small leaves and then darken the surrounding around the fox but not to a degree that it is noticeable, just somewhat in order to lead the eye straight to the fox and have it stay in that area longer. Maybe brighten the fox a bit, too, in order to get the eye to stay there longer. I’d also clean up any other distracting shots, like the two tiny bright shots over the fox ears and the white of the leaves at the bottom, I’m somewhat of a stickler for the frame of an image. Overall, I think a nice shot and a really cute expression. And, since I use LrC I generally use the Transform tool first to enlarge the subject and then I can move the subject around to find the best spot, only then cropping out a bit: I’m not a big “cropper.”
 
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My 3c on crop - and nothing is cast in stone!
Firstly I like to crop by instinct - and this is based on years of experience (not saying this is perfect - it's just my way of operating)

I like to keep my aspect ratios consistent - 2x3 or 16x9 or VERY seldom square.

Secondly - I do favour the golden ratio or rule of thirds (as a very general rule) when cropping.

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Viathelens said:
Cute expression on the fox, looks curious. I think the crop is ok, anywhere you put it there will be some issue. The stick at the bottom right, however, as a diagonal, leads the eye out of the frame. The top left is also somewhat of a diagonal and leading the eye across and out of the frame. There are a few leave above the fox that pop into the frame and are distracting to me. I’d probably take out the few small leaves and then darken the surrounding around the fox but not to a degree that it is noticeable, just somewhat in order to lead the eye straight to the fox and have it stay in that area longer. Maybe brighten the fox a bit, too, in order to get the eye to stay there longer. I’d also clean up any other distracting shots, like the two tiny bright shots over the fox ears and the white of the leaves at the bottom, I’m somewhat of a stickler for the frame of an image. Overall, I think a nice shot and a really cute expression. And, since I use LrC I generally use the Transform tool first to enlarge the subject and then I can move the subject around to find the best spot, only then cropping out a bit: I’m not a big “cropper.”
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Great advice - thank you!
 
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Winston Churchill (Sir) said:
My 3c on crop - and nothing is cast in stone!
Firstly I like to crop by instinct - and this is based on years of experience (not saying this is perfect - it's just my way of operating)

I like to keep my aspect ratios consistent - 2x3 or 16x9 or VERY seldom square.

Secondly - I do favour the golden ratio or rule of thirds (as a very general rule) when cropping.

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Yes - aspect ratio!!! I need to remember that a bit more. I think my struggle is "....wildlife - close up!" and especially with the distractions of sticks and leaves, that I just wanted to focus on face and eyes. But I like what you've done and there's no getting around all those plants LOL
 
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vpchic said:
Yes - aspect ratio!!! I need to remember that a bit more. I think my struggle is "....wildlife - close up!" and especially with the distractions of sticks and leaves, that I just wanted to focus on face and eyes. But I like what you've done and there's no getting around all those plants LOL
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that image - cropped or un-cropped can be nicely processed. It's a good shot
 
Another approach to the golden ratio known as the "sweet spot" could be applied to any rectangle, just to experiment with cropping and placing the subject. To find the sweet spot one takes the diagonals of the rectangle and then finds the points along the diagonal halfway between the center and the corner. Draw a vertical to join the points if desired. The ratio between one edge of the frame and a point compared to the other edge of the frame and the same point woild be in the golden ratio. 1 to 1.618.
 
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bleirer said:
Another approach to the golden ratio known as the "sweet spot" could be applied to any rectangle, just to experiment with cropping and placing the subject. To find the sweet spot one takes the diagonals of the rectangle and then finds the points along the diagonal halfway between the center and the corner. Draw a vertical to join the points if desired. The ratio between one edge of the frame and a point compared to the other edge of the frame and the same point woild be in the golden ratio. 1 to 1.618.
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Ok I love this. Such a great tip. I think I needed to "get over" that the image will have distractions from the plants, leaves branches regardless and how best to minimize is the goal.
 
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Use portions of the image to frame your subject - you can see I how I used that in the left top corner when I cropped the image above - that was done on purpose. Just one way to do it - i am sure there are other ways too
 
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FWIW - I always start exploring crop options by using the existing aspect ratio. If I haven't found a crop that results in a strong composition, then I explore alternate aspect ratios. Just the way I approach an image.......not necessarily the most frequently used approach - or the best. And I (again ;) ) agree with Elsa. I look for the rule of thirds and other strong compositional options such as leading lines, etc.
 
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