Cropping your subject correctly is an important aspect of taking a great portrait. There are different standard portrait lengths: full body, the face and upper part of the body, close up of the face, etc. How do we decide what to leave in frame and what to crop out? I am going to talk about different ways to crop a portrait to make the finished image look more professional, and more pleasing to the eye.
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.
Now that we have gone over the two different ways to crop a photo we can now move on to how to crop correctly. What do you decide to leave in frame, and what do we crop out of the image? It's easiest to begin with where we shouldn't crop. You should never try to crop a subject at the articulations, that is, the joints, ankles, knees, or waist.
Many are well aware of the full length shot where the subject's entire body is in frame, with a little space left below the feet and above the top of the head. Another type of portrait is the 3/4 length portrait. To compose this portrait have the top of the subject's thigh as the bottom edge, and a bit of space above the head as the top of the image.
Next, there is the head and shoulders length portrait. The bottom edge of the photo in this portrait will be the upper chest of your subject, and again a small space above the head as the limit for the upper edge.
The last type of portrait is also the most complicated, the close up of the face. As you may have seen in countless fashion magazines or photos online, these portraits for the most part tend to be more artistic. Because of this there are no hard and strict rules for cropping. My advice to you is to study the genre of facial close ups and choose a style of cropping that best suits your photography, and then expand from there.
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.
Now that we have gone over the two different ways to crop a photo we can now move on to how to crop correctly. What do you decide to leave in frame, and what do we crop out of the image? It's easiest to begin with where we shouldn't crop. You should never try to crop a subject at the articulations, that is, the joints, ankles, knees, or waist.
Many are well aware of the full length shot where the subject's entire body is in frame, with a little space left below the feet and above the top of the head. Another type of portrait is the 3/4 length portrait. To compose this portrait have the top of the subject's thigh as the bottom edge, and a bit of space above the head as the top of the image.
Next, there is the head and shoulders length portrait. The bottom edge of the photo in this portrait will be the upper chest of your subject, and again a small space above the head as the limit for the upper edge.
The last type of portrait is also the most complicated, the close up of the face. As you may have seen in countless fashion magazines or photos online, these portraits for the most part tend to be more artistic. Because of this there are no hard and strict rules for cropping. My advice to you is to study the genre of facial close ups and choose a style of cropping that best suits your photography, and then expand from there.
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. Check here for free reprint license: How to Choose Where to Crop Your Photos - Wedding Photography Techniques for Newbies.
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