When did you start thinking about cropping? While that’s what most of us usually do in editing software after taking a photo, I recommend thinking about cropping the image before pressing the shutter button.
Crop planning & aspect ratio
A crop indicates the final boundaries of an image. It is the frame in which we see the picture. As such, it is an important part of the finished composition. So when we shoot, it’s important to think about the outer edge of the image and where we might want to crop when we last edit. However, I really wanted to take you back a little bit further than the time of recording the planning stages, before you even picked up the camera.
If you intend to print your images, then your aspect ratio will be very important. Aspect ratio is how to determine the crop of your image, for example 1:1, 2:1, 3:2, etc. It is the relationship between the width and height of the image. The number to the left is the width and the number to the right of the colon is the height. So, assuming you are printing at a width of 20 cm, a 1:1 ratio would be a 20 cm x 20 cm square and a 2:1 ratio would be a 20 cm x 10 cm rectangle.
starting from the end
Print labs and paper suppliers tend to have standardized sizes and ratios for their paper and other print media. Yes, they may be willing to cut to another size for you, but you’re making things harder, so you’ll probably end up paying more. If you want a standard set of print racks for selling copies of landscape photos or prints from your portrait studio, it’s much simpler if you can just find a few sizes that work well. and stick to those dimensions. This can streamline the ordering process for the customer, for you, and for the printing lab. You can get a standard price instead of having to get a new quote every time you print. So you should keep this in mind when taking pictures and make sure you don’t lose anything important when cropping.
As a commercial photographer, you can provide images for use on a social network like Instagram or for a double magazine ad. They won’t have the same shape, so you need to know the aspect ratio needed for the final image. The ideal aspect ratio or final aspect ratio is something you want to agree on with your client in advance so you know your images will be fit for purpose. I include it in mine How to write a photography brief to make sure it’s not forgotten. Otherwise, there is a risk that the client will suddenly request another image cropping only to find that you don’t have the file that allows the cropping they want. Putting this in the summary will help avoid further problems. It also helps customers plan more on how they will use the visual content you provide them.
Knowing what format we’re aiming for will help us with our lens selection and focal length, as we’ll know how much space we want on each side of the subject to allow for cropping. It’s also useful with any style or wider layout, as we can know that what we include won’t be accidentally cut out or cut in half in post-production to make it right. fit. So by the time the shutter button is pressed, we should be confident that we can crop the file to the aspect ratio needed for printing or digital display.
Visual support
Some cameras allow you to change the aspect ratio of the captured image, which can be helpful if you find it difficult to visualize. For example, a Nikon D850 allows you to take pictures of squares as well as a few different rectangles. Experience will help you get used to the predictable way of photographing crops that don’t fit into the camera screen naturally. If you’re having trouble with this, then you can try, for example, cut some card templates to put in your camera bag to stick on the screen to test the crop. When shooting, it’s a good idea to take a backup shot or two that’s wider or closer than you think, in case you overestimate the crop area. You don’t want to sit in front of the computer afterwards, cursing because you don’t have a good crop to match what you need!
All of this may seem like overkill if you’re just starting out, or if you’re just planning to use your images on Facebook or your own website. There’s a lot of flexibility for displaying images in online galleries, so you don’t always have to fit into a particular aspect ratio. Likewise, you can often get lucky when you find a good crop when editing. However, if you want to increase your chances of getting usable images and want to challenge yourself to be more precise with your composition, then I would recommend at least including the crop in the shooting phase. yourself, even when not in planning.
Try something new
Intentionally shooting for different aspect ratios can be a challenge if you find your composition a bit too predictable. Placing your subjects in a square or cropped 4:5 portrait, for example, doesn’t feel as good as placing them in a cropped 2:1 mailbox landscape. You may find that you like certain crops as part of your photography style. This can be useful for pricing clients and bringing consistency to your work. However, it’s still possible to get out of your rut every once in a while and do something new to stretch yourself out.
The same image file can look great or mediocre or worse depending on how you choose to crop it. The same composition is not necessarily balanced in every aspect ratio. Try not to leave cropping considerations until posting. Your intended crop can transform the way you set up and take any photo.
All images © Joe Lenton
