To Crop or Not to Crop

[gaknott]

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.

Thanks for your reply, Bristolian!

 

[J. C. Strange]

For fast-moving subjects, I often shoot slightly wide so I can crop later.

 

[Deleted member 115]

I agree to crop as needed but try my best to get it on camera. Obviously not a pro or that much of a purist. I'd rather crop a little than disturb nature while fumbling around on foot sometimes.
An admin on one of groups from natgeo your shot started in with me for defending a little cropping(on someone else's photo). I left the group over it, not enough time in life for so much negativity.

 

[Deleted member 115]

For fast-moving subjects, I often shoot slightly wide so I can crop later.

I try to shoot night hawks and swallows in flight with my Tamron 150-600mm for fun but end up with keepers on my 300mm.

 

[gaknott]

I agree to crop as needed but try my best to get it on camera. Obviously not a pro or that much of a purist. I'd rather crop a little than disturb nature while fumbling around on foot sometimes.
An admin on one of groups from natgeo your shot started in with me for defending a little cropping(on someone else's photo). I left the group over it, not enough time in life for so much negativity.

Thanks for the comments, Hut. I agree, a person should be allowed their own creativity to guide them and to express their art in their way without being chastised for it.

 

[Deleted member 115]

Thanks for the comments, Hut. I agree, a person should be allowed their own creativity to guide them and to express their art in their way without being chastised for it.

Yep and if you put it out there also be open for a little constructive criticism too.....lol

 

[Flyboy]

To quote Theoria Apophasis....(The Angry Photographer)..."EVERYBODY CROPS!" Like many others, I prefer to get it as "right" as possible en camera, but cropping is just another tool to be used as necessary. Getting too close, and having the picture frame cut off part of the image is also a no-no, IMNHO.

 

[gaknott]

To quote Theoria Apophasis....(The Angry Photographer)..."EVERYBODY CROPS!" Like many others, I prefer to get it as "right" as possible en camera, but cropping is just another tool to be used as necessary. Getting too close, and having the picture frame cut off part of the image is also a no-no, IMNHO.

In that case you still have to crop—-it then becomes a head or torso shot!

 

[Flyboy]

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.
There are many different ways to approach photography. None of them are "right" or "wrong." Just more or less popular.

LOVE "very popular obnoxious youtuber) Whatever works.

 

[Capturingtheunseen.com]

First off, I like both of your presentations. Sometimes I want to present the entire scene, and sometimes the bird is the focus.

Second, if you photograph birds, you WILL be cropping. Those who say "don't crop" are apparently shooting stationary targets or pets that let you get close. lol

I crop all the time, sometimes heavily. Most of my images go on social media, but if I want to print a cropped image I add pixels using Photoshop or other software.

Here is a heavily cropped image from this morning.

You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.

 

[MartyD]

We are always cropping! Sometimes with our legs, sometimes with our lenses, and sometimes post processing. We are always removing unwanted areas from our photographs. To maximize the quality of the image it is probably best to limit cropping in post, but cropping too close in camera could limit your ability to change image ratios when needed.

 

[pochito]

First off, I like both of your presentations. Sometimes I want to present the entire scene, and sometimes the bird is the focus.

Second, if you photograph birds, you WILL be cropping. Those who say "don't crop" are apparently shooting stationary targets or pets that let you get close. lol

I'm just a beginner but I tend to agree with this. As I see it, birds in movement are difficult to set in a good composition just out of the camera. Especially more than one bird.
The background is changing, the birds are not necessarily "in step", harmoniously...
I cannot imagine "good timing" in such a case, rather experience, good luck and many fps.
And some cropping should then be inevitable.

 

[gaknott]

First off, I like both of your presentations. Sometimes I want to present the entire scene, and sometimes the bird is the focus.

Second, if you photograph birds, you WILL be cropping. Those who say "don't crop" are apparently shooting stationary targets or pets that let you get close. lol

I crop all the time, sometimes heavily. Most of my images go on social media, but if I want to print a cropped image I add pixels using Photoshop or other software.

Here is a heavily cropped image from this morning.


View attachment 8865

Thanks

First off, I like both of your presentations. Sometimes I want to present the entire scene, and sometimes the bird is the focus.

Second, if you photograph birds, you WILL be cropping. Those who say "don't crop" are apparently shooting stationary targets or pets that let you get close. lol

I crop all the time, sometimes heavily. Most of my images go on social media, but if I want to print a cropped image I add pixels using Photoshop or other software.

Here is a heavily cropped image from this morning.


View attachment 8865

Thanks, Capturingtheunseen! I think you and I are on the same page about cropping, even heavily cropping!

We are always cropping! Sometimes with our legs, sometimes with our lenses, and sometimes post processing. We are always removing unwanted areas from our photographs. To maximize the quality of the image it is probably best to limit cropping in post, but cropping too close in camera could limit your ability to change image ratios when needed.

Thanks, Marty!

 

[gaknott]

I'm just a beginner but I tend to agree with this. As I see it, birds in movement are difficult to set in a good composition just out of the camera. Especially more than one bird.
The background is changing, the birds are not necessarily "in step", harmoniously...
I cannot imagine "good timing" in such a case, rather experience, good luck and many fps.
And some cropping should then be inevitable.

Thanks, pochito! It sounds like you are getting a handle on reality as a beginner. Put in the time and learn the birds behavior; many time they leave and return by the same path and you can get tighter frames by predicting what they are about to do.

 

[Viathelens]

I try to fill the frame as much as I can, sometimes too much! I crop on occasion but not normally to an extreme and I'm not one to crop outside a "normal" dimension as many people do (.i.e, the "pano" type crop you've shown). I might want to print the image so I like to leave images in dimensions that I already have mats for and I buy in bulk. I will, on occasion, crop in an odd format for some reason. I use LrC and I use the Transform tool A LOT to enlarge the image in the given dimensions and this has worked well for me.

 

[gaknott]

I try to fill the frame as much as I can, sometimes too much! I crop on occasion but not normally to an extreme and I'm not one to crop outside a "normal" dimension as many people do (.i.e, the "pano" type crop you've shown). I might want to print the image so I like to leave images in dimensions that I already have mats for and I buy in bulk. I will, on occasion, crop in an odd format for some reason. I use LrC and I use the Transform tool A LOT to enlarge the image in the given dimensions and this has worked well for me.

Thanks, Viathelens! If I intend to print, I use standard sizes but if only using online I will take liberties on sizes, for effect.