To Crop or Not to Crop

If you would like to post, you'll need to register. Note that if you have a BCG store account, you'll need a new, separate account here (we keep the two sites separate for security purposes).

G

gaknott

Well-known member
Supporting Member
Marketplace
Member's gallery
I know there is much discussion about cropping, or not cropping. I understand the arguments on each side and appreciate both. I crop practically every photo I take, for various reasons - detail of the subject, perspective, balance, composition, removing distractions, etc, etc. The photos below are samples for discussion, one leveled very slightly which is the only crop, the other is obviously cropped. What would you have done, with the exception of trashing it? ;) Not necessarily a discussion about image quality or a critique, just opinions about cropping vs. not cropping.

720_1452-2_2.jpg
You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.


720_1452_2.jpg
You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.
 
Member's gallery
pochito said:
I don't understand the question. Why wouldn't one crop, if it is necessary for your creative intent?
Any PP is "equivalent" to cropping. IMHO
Click to expand...
There are a number of purists out there who think it's better to get the composition perfect in camera and never, ever crop. Jared Polin (very popular obnoxious youtuber) is one. My impression is the more one is into street, reportage, or documentary photography, the less likely they'll crop.

Whatever floats your boat is my philosophy. Some people like the challenge of shooting JPG and "getting it right in camera." Some people want to do the same with composition and challenge themselves to never crop. There are many different ways to approach photography. None of them are "right" or "wrong." Just more or less popular.
 
Member's gallery
Personally I selden crop, but why wouldn’t you?
We did this already back in the filmdays.
If it enhances your work to your own taste? Be my guest! Might be clear by now I cherish artistic freedom.
(Which doesn’t mean I always do like the result, but that’s another story LOL)
 
Member's gallery
Thern said:
Personally I selden crop, but why wouldn’t you?
We did this already back in the filmdays.
If it enhances your work to your own taste? Be my guest! Might be clear by now I cherish artistic freedom.
(Which doesn’t mean I always do like the result, but that’s another story LOL)
Click to expand...
Thanks, Roger!
 
Member's gallery
As someone who shoots primarily birds I crop often and to a varying degree depending on camera body used/file size; I unfortunately do not get a large enough subject in my frame much of the time; working from a portable blind has helped but is not always practical or desirable. On a related note I was advised recently by my daughter, who is a graphic designer, while working on a photo book for me, that I should not crop so heavily in order to provide more file headroom for the photo layout, in relation to the print quality, size, and the desired composition. We had a discussion on how some of my photos are more "Scientific" or more suitable for a bird identification guide book versus photos that are pleasing/artistic compositions. It still doesn't mean I won't crop on a small songbird but I now am more aware and concerned about the surroundings in the photo frame, especially within a small distance around my songbird then what I used to be. Hopefully this will enable me to crop less and be more discerning. Either way I do not find that cropping is any more of a "modification" to the frame originally captured than edits done with in- camera or post processing software. Unfortunately or not today's photographers spend more time in the "darkroom" during post processing then the time spent on the actual photo shoot!
 
Member's gallery
I'm generally most satisfied with my images when I get the composition I want in the viewfinder but crop all the time for various reasons. I'd say cropping is just like any other post processing, done in moderation it can help a lot of images but go crazy with deep crops and it's a lot like going too far with Saturation or Shadow/Highlights or just about any other post processing tool and it can yield less than satisfying results.

I wouldn't look at deep cropping as my go-to image processing any more than I'd ignore exposure comp in the field relying on pulling the exposure up in every image, but when an image benefits from a crop or an exposure adjustment or a color balance adjustment I wouldn't hesitate to do it and I do those things all the time.
 
Member's gallery
VStammer said:
As someone who shoots primarily birds I crop often and to a varying degree depending on camera body used/file size; I unfortunately do not get a large enough subject in my frame much of the time; working from a portable blind has helped but is not always practical or desirable. On a related note I was advised recently by my daughter, who is a graphic designer, while working on a photo book for me, that I should not crop so heavily in order to provide more file headroom for the photo layout, in relation to the print quality, size, and the desired composition. We had a discussion on how some of my photos are more "Scientific" or more suitable for a bird identification guide book versus photos that are pleasing/artistic compositions. It still doesn't mean I won't crop on a small songbird but I now am more aware and concerned about the surroundings in the photo frame, especially within a small distance around my songbird then what I used to be. Hopefully this will enable me to crop less and be more discerning. Either way I do not find that cropping is any more of a "modification" to the frame originally captured than edits done with in- camera or post processing software. Unfortunately or not today's photographers spend more time in the "darkroom" during post processing then the time spent on the actual photo shoot!
Click to expand...
Thank you for the reply, Vaughn! I also shoot a lot of birds and even shooting at 500 mm it is not possible to get close enough to avoid cropping for detail or composition. I have also become more aware of the environmental aspect of a good photo; it's home/location helps create a more interesting photo and tells more of a story. And yes, I like the super close ups of feather details, eyes, etc, too, but those are not always the most 'appealing' to many people.
 
Member's gallery
DRwyoming said:
I'm generally most satisfied with my images when I get the composition I want in the viewfinder but crop all the time for various reasons. I'd say cropping is just like any other post processing, done in moderation it can help a lot of images but go crazy with deep crops and it's a lot like going too far with Saturation or Shadow/Highlights or just about any other post processing tool and it can yield less than satisfying results.

I wouldn't look at deep cropping as my go-to image processing any more than I'd ignore exposure comp in the field relying on pulling the exposure up in every image, but when an image benefits from a crop or an exposure adjustment or a color balance adjustment I wouldn't hesitate to do it and I do those things all the time.
Click to expand...
Well said, Dave! I totally agree; thanks for the response!
 
Member's gallery
Hi gaknott

The short answer from me is “sometimes I crop and sometimes I don’t”

Being 8 months into photography I will admit that I wasn’t that well informed on the reasons Whether one should crop or not, However now that I’m more informed I can see the pluses and minuses for each approach..

Way back in February when I started BIF photography and bird portraits I just shot the hell out of anything and never give it much thought .. Today however I’d say I’m more inclined to try my best to capture as much as possible “”In Camera”” it simply makes more sense and means there is less Post Processing to do ..

For obvious reasons it’s not always possible to capture everything “In Camera” meaning you’ll have no choice but to crop and I’ll take that approach in order to get the shot rather than miss the shot , having said all that there have been dozens if not hundreds of times when I’ve got the shot, cropped and ultimately had to bin it as there was lots of noise and a shed load of PP that didn’t help, thankfully the photos were not of any importance....

The whole process of cropping V not cropping has definitely improved my skills in that I’m less likely to simply shoot everything and anything, and more likely to try my best to get the shot that I want , even if it means going back on another occasion..

Having said all of the above I know for certain that it’s much better to get what you want “In Camera” if you can But I still take the open minded approach ....there’s no right or wrong way it all Depends on your own reasons in my honest opinion ....

Harry.G
 
Member's gallery
Harry.G said:
Hi gaknott

The short answer from me is “sometimes I crop and sometimes I don’t”

Being 8 months into photography I will admit that I wasn’t that well informed on the reasons Whether one should crop or not, However now that I’m more informed I can see the pluses and minuses for each approach..

Way back in February when I started BIF photography and bird portraits I just shot the hell out of anything and never give it much thought .. Today however I’d say I’m more inclined to try my best to capture as much as possible “”In Camera”” it simply makes more sense and means there is less Post Processing to do ..

For obvious reasons it’s not always possible to capture everything “In Camera” meaning you’ll have no choice but to crop and I’ll take that approach in order to get the shot rather than miss the shot , having said all that there have been dozens if not hundreds of times when I’ve got the shot, cropped and ultimately had to bin it as there was lots of noise and a shed load of PP that didn’t help, thankfully the photos were not of any importance....

The whole process of cropping V not cropping has definitely improved my skills in that I’m less likely to simply shoot everything and anything, and more likely to try my best to get the shot that I want , even if it means going back on another occasion..

Having said all of the above I know for certain that it’s much better to get what you want “In Camera” if you can But I still take the open minded approach ....there’s no right or wrong way it all Depends on your own reasons in my honest opinion ....

Harry.G
Click to expand...
Thanks for your reply, Harry.G!
 
Member's gallery
I have always done a lot of cropping. Lately, however, as I've learned more about the downsides of cropping I am trying to be a lot more selective ( maybe I should say realistic) about what I actually press the shutter button on. Also, in the last year or so I have kind of figured out the same thing that Vaughn's (VSTAMMER) graphic designer daughter has suggested. In summation, rabid, relentless cropping is not always the best way to go.
 
Member's gallery
DripDryMcFleye said:
I have always done a lot of cropping. Lately, however, as I've learned more about the downsides of cropping I am trying to be a lot more selective ( maybe I should say realistic) about what I actually press the shutter button on. Also, in the last year or so I have kind of figured out the same thing that Vaughn's (VSTAMMER) graphic designer daughter has suggested. In summation, rabid, relentless cropping is not always the best way to go.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply, DripDry!
 
Member's gallery
To crop, or not to crop that is the question. Depends, that is the answer. I shoot mostly shelter animals. Some of the challenges include limited space, sometimes I cannot get very much distance between me and the dog. Dogs when out of their cage usually like to run around. In my experience I have found to allow some extra space in the photo for cropping works well. I can tighten the crop in post and take my assistant out of the picture.

To everyone that has contributed to this discussion thank you for your insight.
 
Member's gallery
One principle that nobody has addressed yet in this thread are the basic rules of composition, for example the Rule of Thirds.
Don't get me wrong - I'm not advocating slavishly following the rule of thirds all the time, sometimes I don't either. But it's also true that many images benefit from placing an important element, person or animal at the intersection of thirds, or at least away from the center of the image, or with landscape images placing the horizon one third from the bottom, sky one third from the top, etc. It's easy enough to compose perfectly when what you're shooting is stationary and not going anywhere, such as in a landscape image. It's often a completely different matter when shooting fast-moving animals or birds. Heck, I often have a hard time keeping an erratically flying bird inside the viewfinder, let alone place it on an intersection of thirds. In those cases I'll invariably crop during post to achieve the best possible composition.

So in a nutshell, I crop very regularly to some extent.
 
Last edited:
Member's gallery
Rassie said:
One principle that nobody has addressed yet in this thread are the basic rules of composition, for example the Rule of Thirds.
Don't get me wrong - I'm not advocating slavishly following the rule of thirds all the time, sometimes I don't either. But it's also true that many images benefit from placing an important element, person or animal at the intersection of thirds, or at least away from the center of the image, or with landscape images placing the horizon one third from the bottom, sky one third from the top, etc. It's easy enough to compose perfectly when what you're shooting is stationary and not going anywhere, such a in a landscape image. It's often a completely different matter when shooting fast-moving animals or birds. Heck, I often have a hard time keeping an erratically flying bird inside the viewfinder, let alone place it on an intersection of thirds. In those cases I'll invariably crop during post to achieve the best possible composition.

So in a nutshell, I crop very regularly to some extent.
Click to expand...
Thank you, Rassie! I was hoping someone would chime in with a technical aspect of why one should consider cropping most photos!
 
Member's gallery
Great responses above. FWIW, I always do my best to get it right in-camera, but sometimes the wildlife just doesn't feel the same way. I would have cropped the image you posted just like you did. The real trick with cropping is knowing how it affects the image from a noise / detail standpoint and doing your best to mitigate those issues in the field when you anticipate a crop.
 
Member's gallery
Steve said:
Great responses above. FWIW, I always do my best to get it right in-camera, but sometimes the wildlife just doesn't feel the same way. I would have cropped the image you posted just like you did. The real trick with cropping is knowing how it affects the image from a noise / detail standpoint and doing your best to mitigate those issues in the field when you anticipate a crop.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply, Steve! Even if it is very slight, I end up cropping most images for composition. Would rather crop slightly vs hitting the delete button because I missed on the too tight side!
 
Member's gallery
I'm in the crop if you need to camp. Yes, getting it right in camera is obviously best but when the subject is too far away to fill the frame or you don't get it quite right what are you going to do?

Steve's comments above regarding noise and sharpness aside I'd rather have the composition I invisaged in the first place with a bit of imperfection than a fabulously sharp image I don't want to frame.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top