One of the most important things in taking a great picture is where to crop your subject. In the industry there are certain standards: full length, 3/4 length, close ups, etc. What are the factors for deciding what stays in the photo and what is cropped out? This article is deals with different methods for cropping your images to make your portraits look more professional and more attractive.
There are two different ways to properly crop an image: in camera, and in post-production. The first method, cropping in camera is the best way of cropping. By cropping in camera you get the full resolution of your camera in your final images. Cropping in camera means that you carefully frame your subjects as you shoot your images, and decide what is in frame and what is out of frame. When you take a picture of a person's face, just the face is in frame, not the whole body to be cropped out later. By doing this, the final image will have the full resolution that your camera has recorded.
Though cropping in camera is the preferred method, there are times when it just isn't possible. This is where cropping in post production comes in handy. Imagine yourself taking pictures of a very quick action at an event, so quick that you do not have time to carefully compose the photo.
People showing off their dance moves at the reception, or the female guests knocking each other over trying to catch the bouquet, or the men bumping each other reaching for the garter are all examples of very fast action where you may not have time to crop in camera. This is alright though. Focus on trying to capture the action as best you can with the knowledge that you will later be able to crop these images on the computer. As you know some resolution will be lost but better that than missing the moment during a fast action sequence.
So, now that we know the different methods of cropping, how do we crop correctly? Which parts of the body do we cut off (leave out of frame)? First, lets start with where not to crop. Never crop a human subject at the joints, i.e., do not cut off your subject at the ankles, knees, or waist.
You are probably aware of the full length shot, that is, the entire body of your subject with a little bit of space above the head, and below the feet. The next kind of portrait is called the 3/4 length shot. In this type of portrait the thigh of the subject makes the bottom edge of the frame, and a little space above the head of the subject will be the upper frame.
Moving along we have the head and shoulders length portrait. This is done by framing the subject with the upper chest as the bottom edge of the image, and once again a small space above the head will be the top edge of the image.
Lastly, and most complicated, there are close ups of the face. Portraits of a subject's face you might have seen online or in print tend to be more artistic, and therefore the rules for cropping are not as rigid. For facial close ups, I suggest you take a look at different examples, and decide which type of cropping goes best with your style of photography.
I really hope this article helps you crop your photos at your next wedding. Good luck and keep with it!
There are two different ways to properly crop an image: in camera, and in post-production. The first method, cropping in camera is the best way of cropping. By cropping in camera you get the full resolution of your camera in your final images. Cropping in camera means that you carefully frame your subjects as you shoot your images, and decide what is in frame and what is out of frame. When you take a picture of a person's face, just the face is in frame, not the whole body to be cropped out later. By doing this, the final image will have the full resolution that your camera has recorded.
Though cropping in camera is the preferred method, there are times when it just isn't possible. This is where cropping in post production comes in handy. Imagine yourself taking pictures of a very quick action at an event, so quick that you do not have time to carefully compose the photo.
People showing off their dance moves at the reception, or the female guests knocking each other over trying to catch the bouquet, or the men bumping each other reaching for the garter are all examples of very fast action where you may not have time to crop in camera. This is alright though. Focus on trying to capture the action as best you can with the knowledge that you will later be able to crop these images on the computer. As you know some resolution will be lost but better that than missing the moment during a fast action sequence.
So, now that we know the different methods of cropping, how do we crop correctly? Which parts of the body do we cut off (leave out of frame)? First, lets start with where not to crop. Never crop a human subject at the joints, i.e., do not cut off your subject at the ankles, knees, or waist.
You are probably aware of the full length shot, that is, the entire body of your subject with a little bit of space above the head, and below the feet. The next kind of portrait is called the 3/4 length shot. In this type of portrait the thigh of the subject makes the bottom edge of the frame, and a little space above the head of the subject will be the upper frame.
Moving along we have the head and shoulders length portrait. This is done by framing the subject with the upper chest as the bottom edge of the image, and once again a small space above the head will be the top edge of the image.
Lastly, and most complicated, there are close ups of the face. Portraits of a subject's face you might have seen online or in print tend to be more artistic, and therefore the rules for cropping are not as rigid. For facial close ups, I suggest you take a look at different examples, and decide which type of cropping goes best with your style of photography.
I really hope this article helps you crop your photos at your next wedding. Good luck and keep with it!
About the Author:
Kevin Heslin is one of the best known Wedding and Commercial Photographers in Costa Rica. Besides commercial and wedding photography, Kevin also specializes in Travel and Cultural Portraits. To see more photo tips click on his blog Costa Rica Photographer Or to see photos of his weddings in Costa Rica, or travel and cultural photography in Central America check out his website Costa Rica Photography
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