Cropping with DigitalCreative.info's Guide to Digital Photography and Image Manipulation

The maxim should always be ......... 'Aim to get it right in the camera'. However, that's assuming that all things are equal and within your conrol but, as we all know, this isn't always the case. When we get home with our less than perfectly composed pictures we need to look at the ways in which they can be improved.

I would argue that the crop tool (the icon, for which, is found in the toolbox) should be viewed as another creative tool. With judicious cropping of the image we remove unwanted and distracting elements but, as a bonus, we add impact and direct the viewer's attention in a way that we can control. Too often we take photographs and try to get as much information into them as we possibly can, especially if they're wanted as reminders of a time, a place or person. However, although these pictures, when looked at, at a later date, will furnish us with information they will often lack the impact and interest that prompted us to take that particular picture in the first place.

If you feel that you can't afford to leave out too much when taking the picture, Just in case you get it wrong! .......... then take 2: one encompassing all the scene ( as an insurance policy) and the second zooming in on the point of interest.

In the following picture I had no choice but to include more in the frame than I wanted because I couldn't get any closer to the subject. Compare the first picture, from the camera, and the second, which was the composition that I wanted:

The next picture shows it as I wanted it, without any distractions and concentrating on the interaction between the two men, the gun and the bullet-belt:-

All I have to do now is get ride of the tax disc (which has become a distraction)!

2. When you crop an image you do more than remove unwanted information, you alter the dynamics of the composition. Long and thin, and tall and thin shapes are both stronger and more challenging to the eye than an image of more conventional and readily accepted dimensions. In other words, they become more interesting and eye-catching to the viewer.Attention will be held for that little bit longer. The next picture is of the Lowry Centre and surrounding area at Salford Quays. It was a dismal day but, as I couldn't repeat the shots, I had to make the best of it. Looking at the original, below, it seemed to have nothing in its favour:

However, by cropping it to give it a longer, stronger, 'letterbox' shape, I was able to minimise the effects of the foreground and the empty sky. I decided to leave just enough of the sky to allow the building and far-skyline to be outlined against it. It created a much stronger, panoramic composition which allows the viewer to 'read' across it without distractions. Because I was simplifuing the shape, I decided to simplify the colour, as well, and de-saturated it, turning it into a monochrome image which just needed a little tweaking with a levels layer..

3. Looking again at our 'less than perfectly' composed images, there is one fault that is often present. Now that it's too late to take the picture again, we can see that there is obviously too much space behind our donkey group, and not enough space, in front of it, into which our eye can move. Our crop tool can quickly and effectively alter this balance! Look at the next picture:

There's far too much space at the left hand side, the direction from which the subject has come and, because we know that the donkey is actually moving forward, I haven't left enough room in the composition for the animal to move into. The viewer feels that the subject is walking out of the picture. It makes our perception of the scene feel uncomfortable and vaguely 'wrong'. There is nothing of interest on the left and there's even an annoying 'bit' of a person's shadow intruding. Using the crop tool I can appear to move the donkey into a better position and at the same time adjust the proportions

I've left just enough space behind the donkey to give it 'space' and, although there is no added space in front of the donkey, there is an illusion of more space because there is proportionately less behind it. I've also taken the opportunity to crop off the 'messy' pier and breakwater whilst just retaining enough background of people, sea and sand to keep the little group in context.

4. So, when we're considering where we're going to crop our images we should always take time to think about the shape of the subject and try to emphasise those dimensions, whether or not the resultant image is in square, portrait, landscape or panoramic format. Some subjects lend themselves more readily to a particular format but always be prepared to experiment and 'break' the accepted rules. Sometimes being unconventional can result in a fantastic picture! We should always aim to make our crop add strength to the final effect.

Cropping Images