Now is a good time to review the 2019 photo archive. The ever-ready delete button helps separate ‘the wheat from the chaff’ but before I do so, I like to review and examine why the photo did not work (aside from the obvious technical fails of light & clarity which even post editing never quite puts right).
- What was I after in taking this photo?
- Is the focus there but too distant/blurred/uninteresting?
- Is there a way of cropping in the subject matter?
– can I crop without losing clarity
– should I change the aspect ratio with a crop
Cropping is not just about removing blemishes but also offers a re-framing opportunity which may give better focus. I tend to capture images on a 4:3 ratio and as is evident from the following, this is not always the best frame.
Conclusion: To a great extent, the subject/scene determines aspect ratio for visual satisfaction but were I to want to print images then 4:3 or 3:2 are the best fit for standard paper sizes. My camera has 4 aspect ratio settings: 3:2; 4:3: 16:9; 1:1 – I should try using these variations more often, rather than cropping later.
Links:
How to know which aspect ratio to use in your photography
Introspectives: thinking out loud with an aim to improve and learn more about photography. Hence the images are not always for show – feedback is welcome.
The Bluebell path is the stand out for me. I must admit that I have trouble cropping photos these days. I didn’t used to have a problem, I think it stems from putting together my first web site in the late 1990s. Everything on the site was as shot and I got out of the habit of cropping.
Thanks for the feedback and I agree as most of the time do not crop but this exercise demonstrated how a different aspect ratio in camera might have improved the shot – I must also use my wilder angle lens more as is evident that landscapes are a pet subject
Recently I’ve started considering cropping some of the photos I post and those I have cropped were done “free hand” rather than to a fixed ratio. It helps that currently I am using an Olympus with a 4:3 ratio or a Sony with a 3:2 ratio.
Love your check-list and your examples. I shall make this list my own over the holidays to weed out my own vast collection of (unnecessarily) kept pics from 2019!
its a good way of ‘re-seeing’ what did not quite work first time. I try not to crop but instead should maybe use a different aspect ratio in camera .
Also I have been using my f2.8 30mm macro lens for wider shots – quite feasible as it has a diagonal angle of view of 40° but now think I should return to my kit zoom lens (14-140) for wider landscapes!
what a great review of cropping. because of squares I quite often crop, but I do need to experiment more with the different aspect ratios on my camera
PS and thank you so much for the link up
i won’t have much time to join in as will be away for nearly 6 weeks soon!
Ooh how fabulous an extended trip, where are you off to?
New Zealand ~ https://nzpix.travel.blog/
I’m envious!
😜thanks for following
Looking forward to your adventures 😄
I can shoot in square Becky but cropping these has shown me how my usual aspect ratio is not always the best one
It is fascinating how much a crop changes things.
what a wonderful mix of images!
many thanks – all shapes and sizes now