What’s Your Preference?

equilution · #21 (**permalink**) 11-07-2009, 05:09 PM

Sorry it took so long to respond back. I've been traveling since 3:30am. Finally, free WiFi in Denver's airport!!

What a great discussion! I have thoroughly enjoyed reading everyone's perspective (no pun intended) regarding croposition. I'm glad to see, for the most part, we are all on the same page about it. True, Martha, cropping in too tight will cause serious degradation in the quality of the image. Rarely do I crop more than 20 or 30%. Again, with hi-res sensors, you don't really lose much. After I cropped and posted those flower water-drop images and got everybody's warm and kind comments, I started to develop a guilt complex. Many of the compliments were those regarding the composition.

So, I wanted to clear the air with everyone to see if I was too far outside the box with what I do.

You all collectively, and individually, are an incredible group of photographers...more importantly, people. It's an honor to share my pics, opinions, and time with all of you. Thanks so much for everyone's contributions!!

Jim

kgb224 · #22 (**permalink**) 11-07-2009, 09:51 PM

Cropped for effect works very well for me my friend.Closer view and picture is still pin sharp.

Yahvo · #23 (**permalink**) 11-08-2009, 08:02 AM

What it comes down to for me is that cropping an image during post processing often yields me a result I find more pleasing than the 'original'. Sadly not every single shot taken when I depress the shutter-button is one that I would hang up on my wall. I'm lucky if half the photos I take in a day are respectable!

But it sure is dang cool when, perusing my Lightroom collection, my eyes stumble across an image from months ago that I hadn't even looked at twice. And in a vibrant flash of inspiration, I mentaly crop it down into a picture that I would look fowards to showing off to my friends. An edit that I wouldn't have thought of then at the time.

You know what I would love? If I was godly enough to be proud of every image I took. And if, while looking through the lense, I got exactly the exposure I wanted every time. Heck, even if I KNEW the exact exposure I wanted every time would be nice.

But I'm not that good. And if later, in photoshop, I snip a few pixels off of the edge of an exposure so that I'm happier with it, then... well... I'm happy.

Because later my friends will exclaim in delights of "oohs!" and "ahhhs!" over the picture. And not a single one of them will criticize me that I removed an inch or so. Or even know that I had.

picnik · #24 (**permalink**) 11-08-2009, 08:15 AM

Croposition... Jim you are a master of word mergers

I vote: NOT CHEATING.
Simply, If it needs it... do it.
Or if it'll give your shot a different feel... do it or don't.
It's really up to you... the photographer.

It's always awesome if you can get the compostion exactly they way you want it right off the bat... but it doesn't always happen. So with the digital world amongst us...
why not utilize it!?
Personally... I crop, edit, play around with all the different things photoshop has to offer... It's just too much fun not to.
There are many shots I just leave as is, but so many that need just a small crop to make it perfect (in my own eyes).
Great topic!!!

equilution · #25 (**permalink**) 11-08-2009, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yahvo

What it comes down to for me is that cropping an image during post processing often yields me a result I find more pleasing than the 'original'. Sadly not every single shot taken when I depress the shutter-button is one that I would hang up on my wall. I'm lucky if half the photos I take in a day are respectable!

But it sure is dang cool when, perusing my Lightroom collection, my eyes stumble across an image from months ago that I hadn't even looked at twice. And in a vibrant flash of inspiration, I mentaly crop it down into a picture that I would look fowards to showing off to my friends. An edit that I wouldn't have thought of then at the time.

You know what I would love? If I was godly enough to be proud of every image I took. And if, while looking through the lense, I got exactly the exposure I wanted every time. Heck, even if I KNEW the exact exposure I wanted every time would be nice.

But I'm not that good. And if later, in photoshop, I snip a few pixels off of the edge of an exposure so that I'm happier with it, then... well... I'm happy.

Because later my friends will exclaim in delights of "oohs!" and "ahhhs!" over the picture. And not a single one of them will criticize me that I removed an inch or so. Or even know that I had.

Yahvo...if you're getting half of your pictures respectable, then you've got it all over me!!! If I like 1 in a hundred, I'm doing well. Thanks for your comments.

Jim

bebo1998 · #26 (**permalink**) 11-08-2009, 06:20 PM

OMG - I love that flower!!!!!

equilution · #27 (**permalink**) 11-08-2009, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bebo1998

OMG - I love that flower!!!!!

Thanks, Bebo! Here are the rest of them from that set: http://digital-photography-school.co...ter-drops.html

Thanks for looking!

Jim

greeneyedmonsterphotog · #28 (**permalink**) 11-08-2009, 06:47 PM

I have a Digital Canon Rebel XTi and it seems lately that all my pictures are fuzzy. Just as they are taken and especially if I crop them. No sharp features on faces or anything?! What could be the problem?:mad

Sterling · #29 (**permalink**) 11-08-2009, 06:58 PM

Quote:

But, I think some of my anti-PP sentiments are because my tendencies are more toward a photojournalistic approach (I do work at a newspaper, after all). And preserving the integrity of the original is crucial in photojournalism. Otherwise it becomes a false image.

Martha, I'm going to take a little exception to your idea of "false" images due to cropping. The integrity of the original is only as true as you have decided it to be in the first place. Until a journalist is able to transport the viewer back to the actual scene, every image they compose in the viewfinder is just their own interpretation of the scene. It is certainly not a "true" image just because a photojournalist created it.

We are just talking about cropping here, not outright transforming of an image. I see shots all the time where the photojournalist has composed the shot in such a way as to be "newsworthy." I don't believe newsworthy equals true. I don't see cropping a photo to remove a participant in a protest rally any more "false" than the photojournalist who doesn't bother to show that the crowd consists of only eight people.

equilution · #30 (**permalink**) 11-08-2009, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sterling

Martha, I'm going to take a little exception to your idea of "false" images due to cropping. The integrity of the original is only as true as you have decided it to be in the first place. Until a journalist is able to transport the viewer back to the actual scene, every image they compose in the viewfinder is just their own interpretation of the scene. It is certainly not a "true" image just because a photojournalist created it.

We are just talking about cropping here, not outright transforming of an image. I see shots all the time where the photojournalist has composed the shot in such a way as to be "newsworthy." I don't believe newsworthy equals true. I don't see cropping a photo to remove a participant in a protest rally any more "false" than the photojournalist who doesn't bother to show that the crowd consists of only eight people.

Brace yourself for impact, Sterling!

Thanks for your comments.

Jim