A Little News

Knowing when to crop an image is probably the first prerequisite to cropping an image. Sounds pretty much like a Duh! moment doesn’t it? Keep in mind, you may know when to crop and how to crop but you may be working with others who may be lacking some of your expertise. (Wasn’t that tactful!) So helping others learn how to crop might be to your long term advantage. With this post I have included three photos that show when to crop and when not to crop. Lets start with the portrait.

When you look at the image you can see that the rule of thirds is in play in the first version. The man is off center and his face hits one of the intersection points where the thirds cross. The background is a pleasing melange of color and does not in any way detract from the feel of the portrait. The second version culls out much of the background and eliminates the rule of thirds composition and bulls eyes the guy. No good. This is a photo that does not need cropping so leave it alone.

The second photo is a feature shot from a softball game. The team is being introduced and I used an eccentric composition to contrast the two circles. The girls form a large circle in the right side of the frame and I left in the batters box circle to give an opposing visual element that also provides a bit of quirkiness and sense of visual balance. The second photo crops the image so there is only one circle with the players. Bad crop. Don’t do it. The first photo has greater visual interest and it causes the reader to stop and look just a little longer and that is a good thing. You want to hold your readership on the page as long as you can. You just don’t want a photo to become so complex that the reader gives up in frustration and turns the page. It is a newspaper and not an art museum.

The third photo is an example where cropping the picture is a good thing. The first photo shows President Bush pressing the flesh after a speaking engagement but there is a large, white blob in the upper right corner. The second photo tightens up on the President and eliminates the blob and brings you right into his face. An alternative to this would be to make the photo a vertical and go even tighter on his face. Either one works. This is a good crop. Do it.

The funny, and I mean this in the funny-unnerving sense, is none of these photos is really ruined by cropping or by leaving them alone. Cropping is very subjective. You as the photographer have the strongest emotions about the crop because it is your work, your creation and your crop reflects the way you saw the image and the way you felt about what you saw. The editor looks at it with a bit more detachment and he may see something that is distracting or may see a crop that will actually help the image communicate so stay open to the possibility of a greater crop.

There are some photos you crop and others you leave alone. You need to know which is which and if you don’t know you need to consult the people who do know. If you have trouble cropping your own images, ask your fellow photographers. You will get no shortage of opinion. Then you can sort out how you want to crop. Remember this, every photo is yours and it is an expression of your vision. Make sure your crops portray your vision. Consult others but the final decision is yours. When you turn the photo in, if you have a strong opinion about the crop, voice it in a professional manner. Always remember, the paper is going to publish again the next day so if you lose today keep on fighting for tomorrow will bring another chance. It will be to your great benefit to remember that the editor gets the final say whether you feel he is right or wrong. Give your input but remain professional either way.

Photos copyright The Decatur Daily. The opinions expressed in this blog are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer.