Below are a few photographs I have taken and then cropped to show that what is seen through the viewfinder does not have to be the set format of an image.
Image 1: I took this photograph along the Trans Pennine Trail, between Sale and Altrincham.
Original
The final crop uses a Golden Triangle up the centre of the photograph. Placing subjects within this triangle create a very pleasing composition.
Image 2: I took this photograph of a bird bathing through a window.
300mm, 1/13sec, f/5.6
Crop 1
For my first crop, I decided with the bird looking to the right I should place it on the left side of the picture. The bird's foot is placed where the left hand vertical line of the rule of thirds dissects; its head lies slightly to the left of this line and slightly above the top horizontal line. With the bird standing on a stone that's in sharp focus places a lot of weight in the bottom left golden section. This contrasts with the larger, blurred, out of focus stone on the right and helps to balance the image. I feel I have created a satisfying crop, however, I don't like the basket in the background, I will try some different crops.
Crop 2
The composition of this crop closely follows a harmonic triangle that begins in the centre on the left and opens to the corners on the right. The edge of the water follows the lower diagonal line although slightly above. The top of the birds head touches the upper diagonal line and the flower on the left is right in the point of the triangle and sits parallel with the lower line. The majority of the bird and the stone it's stood on are in the right hand third of the crop. The right vertical line and another diagonal line from a harmonious triangle crosses straight through the birds eye. The pebbles and rock to the left behind the bird are placed in the middle third of the image and the objects in the left third are out of focus which give the image a very strong composition. There is also a golden spiral in this crop. The spiral begins at the birds feet, curves up and round following the curvature of the birds back and finishing in the centre of the flower on the left, partly traveling down it's stem. All of these aspects together make this crop very pleasing to the eye and comfortable to look at.
Crop 3
This is one of my favourite crops. It's very simple yet still comfortable to look at. It contains a harmonious triangle. The point is in the centre at the top and the two sides end in the bottom left and right hand corners. This triangle is more to do with the weight of the objects with in the crop than their shape. The weight of the rock provides a large base for the lower part of the triangle and the weight of the bird, getting lighter towards its head gives a feeling of a triangle coming to a point at the top of the image where the main subject ends.
Crop 4
Within this image there is a harmonious triangle starting in the centre on the left and ending in the corners on the right. The edge of the water followers the lower line and the edge of the rock in the top right corner follows the top line. The lower line also runs across the top of the flower that protrudes furthest into the picture. The main subject's weight is in the two bottom right sections; the weight of the plant stretching the left side third of the image balances with the bird stood on the rock. There is also a golden spiral in this crop. It starts at the birds feet, curves round the bottom right corner where the base of the rock lies, passes underneath the lowest flower on the left and curves up to the right following the edges of the two blurred rocks in the centre and on the right of the crop. These aspects provide a very pleasing image.
Image 3: Taken along part of the Snake Pass which connects Glossop with Sheffield.
39mm, 1/80sec, f/8
Crop 1
To create a comfortable composition, I cropped my photograph so that the stream is in the bottom right golden section and the trees at the top are in the top left golden section. The tips of the trees follow the top line of a harmonious triangle that starts in the corners on the left and ends in the centre on the right. The angle of the hill on the right followers the lower line.
With this crop I wanted to create a landscape image from the original portrait photograph. I placed the stream in the lower centre section of the rule of thirds. The tree lines on either side of the valley follow the harmonious diagonals, top left to bottom right and top right to bottom left.
My first three crops have been very similar so I decided to take a section from further into the photograph. The only problem is if I were to have this crop enlarged it would be very poor quality. The majority of the stream is inside the lower middle golden section. The left bank follows two harmonious divisions; the lower part follows a diagonal from centre right to bottom left and the higher part follows a diagonal from centre left to bottom right. These aspects create a well balanced comfortable image to look at.
After experimenting with cropping, I now have a much better understanding of how to use it to improve the composition of my photographs. Admittedly, not all of my crops are better than the originals but I have managed to create some pleasing and interesting results.
Image 1: I took this photograph along the Trans Pennine Trail, between Sale and Altrincham.
18mm, 1/125sec, f/22
Crop 1
With my first crop I tried to re-create the initial shot I had planned for the scene. Using the Golden Section, I placed the tree approximately in the right hand middle section with the tips of the reed-mace slightly above the lower line. The hill on the left balances the photograph with the tree on the right.
Crop 2
With this crop I designed the composition base don the Rule of Thirds. I placed the top of the tree trunk along the top horizontal line. The tree trunk itself is slightly on the left hand side of the left vertical line. This combination places the centre of the tree approximately upon the point where the top line and left hand vertical line cross; this creates a very pleasing composition.
Crop 3
This crop is the exact opposite of the second. Instead of placing the tree in the top left of the image, I have placed it bottom right. The trunk runs along the right hand vertical line of the rule of thirds and the top of the trunk sits upon the lower horizontal line, placing the centre of the tree where these two lines cross. The hill on the left rising up to the lower horizontal line also helps to balance this crop.
I did not intentionally take this photograph with cropping in mind. I came across the scene whilst out cycling and found it quite appealing so I hopped off my bike, got out my camera and got as close as possible. I wanted to keep the entire tree in the shot with the reed-mace in the foreground, I had a problem though, the reed-mace was taller than myself. I had to stand a few metres away where there happened to be a slight mound, and I had to hold my camera above my head, therefore not enabling me to look through the viewfinder. It took me a number of tries before I captured this image, the previous were either blurred or slanted.
Crop 1
With my first crop I tried to re-create the initial shot I had planned for the scene. Using the Golden Section, I placed the tree approximately in the right hand middle section with the tips of the reed-mace slightly above the lower line. The hill on the left balances the photograph with the tree on the right.Crop 2
With this crop I designed the composition base don the Rule of Thirds. I placed the top of the tree trunk along the top horizontal line. The tree trunk itself is slightly on the left hand side of the left vertical line. This combination places the centre of the tree approximately upon the point where the top line and left hand vertical line cross; this creates a very pleasing composition.Crop 3
This crop is the exact opposite of the second. Instead of placing the tree in the top left of the image, I have placed it bottom right. The trunk runs along the right hand vertical line of the rule of thirds and the top of the trunk sits upon the lower horizontal line, placing the centre of the tree where these two lines cross. The hill on the left rising up to the lower horizontal line also helps to balance this crop.
Crop 4
The final crop uses a Golden Triangle up the centre of the photograph. Placing subjects within this triangle create a very pleasing composition.Image 2: I took this photograph of a bird bathing through a window.
Original
300mm, 1/13sec, f/5.6I spotted a Blackbird bathing in the waterfall of our pond so grabbed my camera and took this shot through the window. Although the original photograph is rather comfortable to look at, I would like to use it to experiment with cropping.
Crop 1
For my first crop, I decided with the bird looking to the right I should place it on the left side of the picture. The bird's foot is placed where the left hand vertical line of the rule of thirds dissects; its head lies slightly to the left of this line and slightly above the top horizontal line. With the bird standing on a stone that's in sharp focus places a lot of weight in the bottom left golden section. This contrasts with the larger, blurred, out of focus stone on the right and helps to balance the image. I feel I have created a satisfying crop, however, I don't like the basket in the background, I will try some different crops.Crop 2
The composition of this crop closely follows a harmonic triangle that begins in the centre on the left and opens to the corners on the right. The edge of the water follows the lower diagonal line although slightly above. The top of the birds head touches the upper diagonal line and the flower on the left is right in the point of the triangle and sits parallel with the lower line. The majority of the bird and the stone it's stood on are in the right hand third of the crop. The right vertical line and another diagonal line from a harmonious triangle crosses straight through the birds eye. The pebbles and rock to the left behind the bird are placed in the middle third of the image and the objects in the left third are out of focus which give the image a very strong composition. There is also a golden spiral in this crop. The spiral begins at the birds feet, curves up and round following the curvature of the birds back and finishing in the centre of the flower on the left, partly traveling down it's stem. All of these aspects together make this crop very pleasing to the eye and comfortable to look at.Crop 3
This is one of my favourite crops. It's very simple yet still comfortable to look at. It contains a harmonious triangle. The point is in the centre at the top and the two sides end in the bottom left and right hand corners. This triangle is more to do with the weight of the objects with in the crop than their shape. The weight of the rock provides a large base for the lower part of the triangle and the weight of the bird, getting lighter towards its head gives a feeling of a triangle coming to a point at the top of the image where the main subject ends.Crop 4
Within this image there is a harmonious triangle starting in the centre on the left and ending in the corners on the right. The edge of the water followers the lower line and the edge of the rock in the top right corner follows the top line. The lower line also runs across the top of the flower that protrudes furthest into the picture. The main subject's weight is in the two bottom right sections; the weight of the plant stretching the left side third of the image balances with the bird stood on the rock. There is also a golden spiral in this crop. It starts at the birds feet, curves round the bottom right corner where the base of the rock lies, passes underneath the lowest flower on the left and curves up to the right following the edges of the two blurred rocks in the centre and on the right of the crop. These aspects provide a very pleasing image.Image 3: Taken along part of the Snake Pass which connects Glossop with Sheffield.
Original
39mm, 1/80sec, f/8Back in March when I first acquired my DSLR I took it on a drive towards Sheffield. Almost half of the route from Manchester took me across the very dangerous yet picturesque Snake Road nicknamed Snake Pass. There are laybys safe enough to pull into when it's quiet so I stopped in a few a took some shots. I took the photograph above as I found the scene extremely appealing and wanted to capture the image as a reminder of the first trip with my camera.
Crop 1
To create a comfortable composition, I cropped my photograph so that the stream is in the bottom right golden section and the trees at the top are in the top left golden section. The tips of the trees follow the top line of a harmonious triangle that starts in the corners on the left and ends in the centre on the right. The angle of the hill on the right followers the lower line.Crop 2
For this crop I wanted to create an opposite of the first. I placed the stream in the bottom left golden section and the tree line on the right followers the top line of a harmonious diagonal that begins in the top right corner and ends in the centre on the left.
For this crop I wanted to create an opposite of the first. I placed the stream in the bottom left golden section and the tree line on the right followers the top line of a harmonious diagonal that begins in the top right corner and ends in the centre on the left.Crop 3
With this crop I wanted to create a landscape image from the original portrait photograph. I placed the stream in the lower centre section of the rule of thirds. The tree lines on either side of the valley follow the harmonious diagonals, top left to bottom right and top right to bottom left.Crop 4
My first three crops have been very similar so I decided to take a section from further into the photograph. The only problem is if I were to have this crop enlarged it would be very poor quality. The majority of the stream is inside the lower middle golden section. The left bank follows two harmonious divisions; the lower part follows a diagonal from centre right to bottom left and the higher part follows a diagonal from centre left to bottom right. These aspects create a well balanced comfortable image to look at.After experimenting with cropping, I now have a much better understanding of how to use it to improve the composition of my photographs. Admittedly, not all of my crops are better than the originals but I have managed to create some pleasing and interesting results.
