Cropping… what is it and why is it important when deciding which print sizes to order?
Cropping is one of those things that can be really hard to visualize (unless you are a photographer or printer of course!). So the purpose of this post is to help you at least begin to see the difference between the various common print sizes and why we should take into account more than just the overall size. You see, “cropping” basically means cutting part of the longest side of the image away so that it will fit the particular print size you are ordering (5×7, 8×10, 16×20, etc.). The closer the print size is to a square, the more cropping will have to take place, regardless of how big or small the final print is.
Why do our cameras take rectangular pictures? Well, very very very long ago, photographers and camera/film makers decided that rectangles were the best for capturing images (ie Golden ratios, rule of thirds, etc.). And so, as a photographer, I set out to capture beautiful compositions within this rectangular frame. Professional (and most consumer) cameras all capture rectangular images that will print at 4×6, 8×12, 16×24, 20×30, 24×36, and any other combination that has that “2:3″ aspect ratio without any cropping at all. But before everyone’s eyes glaze over going into the mathematical details about aspect ratios, let’s take a look at how the different print sizes would actually look side-by-side. The original image is rectangular at that 2:3 (width:height in this case) ratio and can be seen without cropping on the leftmost image below (btw, you can see the images I used for this post in larger form by clicking here). Now lets take a look at how those prints would look:
Why the different print sizes? Well, frame and print maker’s of course had their own ideas about convenient sizes… Plus, the standard “head & shoulders” vertical portrait just seems to work better at 8×10 than its un-cropped counterpart… And to go further, sometimes the space or collage within which we are looking to hang the image seems to require different sizes too and so having choices gives us flexibility there. But the bottom line to
always keep in mind is this: Every image is different and because of this, it won’t always look best at every possible size. Remember, images are captured within that rectangular 2:3 frame of the camera. Cropping may throw off the composition’s balance or eliminate crucial elements. So, we have to take cropping into account when selecting prints. And of course this has created a problem that we as photographers will always have to deal with (insert sad, forlorn music here…) because cropping means that portions of our beautiful compositions – our works of art – will be chopped off! Let’s take a look at a good example now of how the
wrong cropping can negatively impact an image:
The image on the left is not cropped, but the image on the right is cropped to fit other print sizes. I think most of us would agree right away that the image on the right does not look nearly as good when it is cropped! This image should be printed at one of the sizes on the left to show the full (not cropped) image. The girl fills most of the frame, so in this case,
any cropped sizes (such as on the right) will cut off important elements – like her ankles and feet! And that would not be good, especially since this image is all about her motion (she was running – literally right towards me!). The position of her feet help tell us that part of her story – that she is moving towards the viewer – and quickly at that! The fact that she fills the frame strengthens the portrait, drawing us even closer into her world of sheer joyful exploration.
Clearly, cropping is something that must be considered individually for each and every image. Some images might look great as squares, others would be ruined if cropped that way. Going back to the first image I showed you here (above) with Dad’s hands letting the girl go… that one could be cropped to some degree and still retain its effectiveness. Sure, we also need to retain some of that “space” in front of the girl so that she has “space” to “run into,” but some of it could be removed at least. We probably would not want to crop it all the way to a square with that one as it makes her start to appear too “boxed in.”
So there you have it. I’ll leave it at that for now – congratulations if you are still with me! Hopefully this has shed some light on cropping for you. And remember, if you’re not sure about how a size will look, just ask me! I’d be happy to go through it with you and help you select the best options for your images!
Cheers!
-James
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