Some of the most iconic photographs of the century are actually cropped versions

I was taught, and still believe, cropping is done for two reasons: as a tool to save a weak photo, or to overcome a limitation at the time the photograph was taken.

Tank man being an example of overcoming the limitation factor, as being down on the street was next to impossible and the moment would be gone before the photographer changed to a longer lens or made his way to the street.

As for improving a weak photo, cropping is a tool to teach the eye to see better. A photographer is always after the strongest image possible from a given scene, cropping can achieve this, but after time a photographer should learn to see the strongest image while framing. The discipline of cropping should creep into your framing.

I'm proud to say I crop less often than I did 10 years ago.
 
Sure. I think we all strive to maximize negative area use, and crop in-camera.
But if an image can be improved with a bit more post camera cropping, I'll do it. Why wouldn't one? Why bin a good image just because the cropping wasn't just right in the camera? We do other post processing; cropping is like one of those adjustments.
 
Cropping is a tool, just like any other tool in photography, and it should be used in that regard. Cropping shouldn't be used on every photograph as justification for you to 'spray and pray', for lack of a better word, and then crop what you like. I've always considered cropping as a way of understanding composition more -- you think of the composition while taking a photo, and then later if you understand the composition a little more when it's right in front of you, then sure, go ahead and crop! Cropping teaches composition and can be extremely beneficial to both the photograph and the photographer.
 
Cropping also brings up another thorny issue.

Is the final result just the image you see or a sum of what went into it. You see this concern, or value, widely in fine art today, where "how" something is made, is considered important in many cases.

Think about it: you see a great image. Then you are informed: this was framed and shot like this in the moment, or this is a creative selection of the original.

Now whether you think one is "better" in any way, or both are equal, certainly they are not the same.

I think you'd be hard pressed to find any photographer who has never cropped anything. So this "purist ideologue" label is rich. It's a question of whether you approach the shot with the goal of "a clean kill" (too morbid?), or you just lob a grenade. ;)

Cropping has been around forever because the space for photographs often varies, especially in advertising. Of course the Album cover will be cropped. So making a good crop is a certainly a skill in itself, and one that has been long a part of photography, by purists or whoever.

That's already settled. :)

So what remains: do I shoot with the intent to make a good frame as is, or do I shoot with the intent to crop? In general, I mean. Obviously there are exceptions in either case.
 
codester80 said:
I was taught, and still believe, cropping is done for two reasons: as a tool to save a weak photo, or to overcome a limitation at the time the photograph was taken. . . .
Click to expand...
One of those limitations being that the camera format doesn't suit the picture. Have you ever used a square-format camera? Did you feel obliged to compose only square pictures? Have you never shot a photograph where you deliberately composed the picture to be longer and thinner than the format of the camera in your hands? Or shorter and squarer?

The "no crop, ever" fantasy is normally based on the (long, thin) 35mm format, and is most often embraced by mindless Cartier-Bresson fanboys.

Cheers,

R.
 
The term is "fanbois."

If we are going to talk like we are on Twitter trading barbs, let's get it right.
 
With very few exceptions, Every photograph is cropping the scene before the photographer.
Where does the idea of crop start/stop?
 
One of the things I will say about cropping is that like most tools or options it can be used mistakenly. I've often cropped an image because I felt it needed it .... then realised I've destroyed it's context and undone the crop.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom