the crop

[Kate1]

Hi,
I'm relatively new to DPS and have been using a DSLR (Nikon D5000) for about 9 months. Before that I used an SLR and dig point& shoots. I am loving what my new camera allows me to do but sometimes get disheartened by just how much there is to learn!
I love the crop - tight, full-frame pics of faces in particular. And it can be very handy for getting rid of clutter and distractions. BUT I find myself needing or wanting to crop photos into sizes that don't match the usual 4x6, 8x10 etc. Is this ok? Or is it ok if you're a real pro and somehow convince people of the artistic merit in such a crop but not if you're still kind of learning?
Any views/comments appreciated!

[BCampbell]

Okay for what?

It's perfectly okay if that's your vision and style. If the crop expresses your voice through the photo, use it.

Lots of people use aspect ratios (I'm switching to "aspect ratio" here because that's really what you're talking about) that are not "standard". A good friend of mine loves the 1:1 ratio because she shoots a lot of polaroid. Some people do a lot of panoramas and thus have tall or long images. And remember that the 3:2 aspect ratio of most DSLRs is "nonstandard" in that it blows up to 8x12, not 8x10 (though 8:10, 5:7, and 3:5 are all different as well, so what is "standard"?).

Now, do you want to print your photos? That's the real question. You can usually find someone to print to 8x10 and 8x12, as well as formats like 5x7, 5x5, 8x8, etc. if you have a 5x12 image or 4x10, or something equally strange, you will probably end up having to trim prints by hand. If you go outside the usual borders of size -- say you want to print a 5x18" panorama -- you're going to pay a bit extra; prices are usually based on the longest dimension.

Just food for thought. Crop your photos however you want, they're yours.

[BryanC]

I agree with the last response, it's all up to you.

Try to get the composition that you want in this order:

1. In camera, compose in the viewfinder, requiring little or no cropping afterwards.

2. Use an aspect ratio crop of your choosing, move it around to get what you desire.

3. Custom crop (no aspect ratio). If printing one of these for display, one of the ways to present it is with a custom matting around the image inside a larger frame.

[BCampbell]

Originally Posted by BryanC

1. In camera, compose in the viewfinder, requiring little or no cropping afterwards.

Good general advice. However, if you know you're going to crop to a ratio different than your camera's native, you'll need to "see" this in the viewfinder. For some ratios, you can buy lined screens, so for example you have guidelines for where a crop for an 8x10 would be. For odder aspect ratios, it helps if you can previsualize.

[Kate1]

Thanks everyone. All very good advice - and a good reminder that they are my photos after all....!