when to crop and where on portraits ?

[peter]

This goes back to my post in the b/w section and when you think it is right to crop limbs and heads. It would be nice for as many of you to comment here about the subject. You could even post a picture here to help show what you are talking about.

[Ian]

Re: when to crop and where on portraits ?

I think it really does depend on the picture, Peter!

There is no hard and fast rule really.

If you can provide some examples, we can go from there?

Ian

[Stephen]

Re: when to crop and where on portraits ?

OK Peter, for what its worth here is my feeling on this cropping thing. essentially Ian is right, however the one rule of thumb that I think holds true with most pics is that if you are photographing a close of of a face, then its not a problem to crop the top of the head off, its not that important to the shot, its the face, eyes, mouth, nose, maybe the expression that is important. However if you are photographing say a full length or even waist up or head and shoulders, then cropping the top of the head would not be appropriate. You really only have to look and you can see it doesn't look right.

I clicked on your Flickr site to look for some examples. The shots of Natalie with the top of the head cropped off just don't look right, even though it maybe the garments that are the important thing. The set of Amy shows some more examples. The thumbnails in the panel show what I mean, even though they are not the full frame. The second to last shot for example of the face works fine, but the last one doesn't, it needs space above the head. Compare that last thumbnail with the enlarged version and you can see the space above the head when its a waist up shot makes a better pic. Ideally the eyes should be on roughly a third, which they are in the last shot. Also with a face shot, the larger shot next to the panel has the top of the head cropped, but the eyes are on a third line and it looks spot on.

[peter]

Re: when to crop and where on portraits ?

I think it really does depend on the picture, Peter!

There is no hard and fast rule really.

If you can provide some examples, we can go from there?

Ian

when I crop I really do not like to crop heads and hands as in these photos below I like to see the whole person.




When I do crop a head shot I like to keep them looking like these with Emily

I do not think that is an over the top crop as you can still very much see the face and all you really cannot see is a bit of hair.When i do crop arms and hands I guess they look like this.


looking in my pics to find these I see and know that I mostly go for head and shoulder shots like these.

[peter]

Re: when to crop and where on portraits ?

OK Peter, for what its worth here is my feeling on this cropping thing. essentially Ian is right, however the one rule of thumb that I think holds true with most pics is that if you are photographing a close of of a face, then its not a problem to crop the top of the head off, its not that important to the shot, its the face, eyes, mouth, nose, maybe the expression that is important. However if you are photographing say a full length or even waist up or head and shoulders, then cropping the top of the head would not be appropriate. You really only have to look and you can see it doesn't look right.

I clicked on your Flickr site to look for some examples. The shots of Natalie with the top of the head cropped off just don't look right, even though it maybe the garments that are the important thing. The set of Amy shows some more examples. The thumbnails in the panel show what I mean, even though they are not the full frame. The second to last shot for example of the face works fine, but the last one doesn't, it needs space above the head. Compare that last thumbnail with the enlarged version and you can see the space above the head when its a waist up shot makes a better pic. Ideally the eyes should be on roughly a third, which they are in the last shot. Also with a face shot, the larger shot next to the panel has the top of the head cropped, but the eyes are on a third line and it looks spot on.

Hi Stephen

I was posting over the top and saw what you had posted after mine went up. Yes I can see what you mean about the head shots needing space. I think it is time to go back to flickr and take a few down . I have spent some time looking around flickr in the portrait sections and you do seem some very tight crops there and also missing limbs but they seem to work ??

[Stephen]

Re: when to crop and where on portraits ?

All those look fine to me Peter, there is no problem with the crops at least. Not too keen on the pose in the second picture, it looks strained and awkward, look at the right arm.

[peter]

Re: when to crop and where on portraits ?

All those look fine to me Peter, there is no problem with the crops at least. Not too keen on the pose in the second picture, it looks strained and awkward, look at the right arm.

Yes spot on I see that now. It would have been better to bring it down closer to the body and have it straighter.