Critique #14 Theme *Portrait*

[jmilkins]

Thaks all for the interesting contexts you provided - they add to the images posted. For my part, the Mother and Child image was orignally taken on 35mm Reala 100 and then converted to B&W. From your feedback I'll work on improving that part in terms of the curves etc - thank you.

This brings me to a question that I considered in posting this image - "to crop or not to crop"?

I agree that a tighter framing of the image would perhaps have more impact, but I'm unsure of the photographic conventions or "rules" surrounding cropping - is cropping during scanning or printing regarded as a valid technique in obtaining the final preferred image, or should the changes be made "in camera" e.g. by changing lenses for a tighter view.

Or, as I suspect, is this just getting too obsessive about what is or is not "correct"?

I'm interested in your views.

 

[lff]

Cropping reminds me....I originally wanted to crop out the woman in the background, but the only scan I could find was too low res to afford any cropping so I just left it as it was.

I fully expected to be critiqued on cropping.....but hey, that's my MOM back there! Birthday girl is 2nd from the right on the front row.

haha....thanks again for the critiques.

 

[remrf]

T

I agree that a tighter framing of the image would perhaps have more impact, but I'm unsure of the photographic conventions or "rules" surrounding cropping - is cropping during scanning or printing regarded as a valid technique in obtaining the final preferred image, or should the changes be made "in camera" e.g. by changing lenses for a tighter view.

Or, as I suspect, is this just getting too obsessive about what is or is not "correct"?

I'm interested in your views.

I think you will find as many opinions on this as there are people to offer them. Cropping or framing "in camera" is a good idea when it can be managed but is not always an option when going for the "decisive moment". When I have a darkroom to use I will either contact print the neg or enlarge a full frame print to view to make final cropping decisions. Of late I have scans made of my images and view them in an image editing program and make the crop(if any) at that time. I generally shoot allowing a bit of excess area around my subject and crop as desired at a later date.
I have met some photographers who only frame "in camera" and then butcher their neg holders to allow the full neg area to be shown on the print which supposedly then becomes "art". Sounds like a pretty stupid idea to me but some will have it no other way. 🙄