So I have been having this debate with myself since I started photography. What do you think about reframing pictures?
I do it often, from just a little, to eliminate something that bothers the composition, to heavy reframing(more rarely). Sometimes the pictures I get out of reframing is about 1/4 of the original picture. But I think that what I want to express, whether it is a feeling, an idea, a mood, etc. by reframing is more important than the technical aspect that I should keep my photos the way I originally shot it.
Do you consider it cheating or simply a tool to use? Painters can repaint if things doesn't work, same for illustrator. Filmmakers edit for how long they want that shot or that shot. So, since photography is so about the instant, is reframing the equivalent to tell our stories in a better way?
Are you talking about using crop/rotate to reframe? I think it's perfectly fine! I love to try to get the rule of 3rds captured with my photos when I take them, but sometimes, it's just not possible. I think as long as you aren't cropping too much of the photo away, cropping is a great tool to have and know how to use.
Yeah I'm talking specifically about cropping. But what about if there is 1/8 of the photo that is simply magical. Would you reframe it or just leave it there?
Reframing, I thought you said that initially, your focus locked, then your reframed you pic, but now I understand you're talking of cropping. First of, I have to say, you take the picture for one thing, but post process is another thing. So, if you took a shot, then, during post process, you *changed* your mind and opted to use 1/8 of the shot, then, it's all good. No cheating there, because it was your decision. It's your art. If you personally feel it's cheating and it's bugging you, then, don't do it. Make sure you shot a photo with the finished product in mind. To me, I personally shoot it with a final idea (for the frame, not the colors/clarity) in mind, so cropping is less, but I won't judge anyone who does major cropping. :)
I think of course you can crop all you want. You may not have time to get the framing just right, or you may not be able to get close enough to the subject, or you may just not notice something until you see it later. Maybe if you are doing street photography or photojournalism and for some reason want "pure" images SOOC, but gosh I think cropping is one of the most important things you can do to an image. I crop 90% of mine, some of them severely.
I agree with most, used approriately then cropping is one of the 'basics' we have in our photography toolkits. Generally however, I crop once I get the images home and notice something to the sides/above/below that detracts from the image I was intending to take. So, in essence I use cropping on nearly all photos to just tidy them up...not to totally alter them.
The camera sets the standard size of the picture, I am the one deciding what the picture is. I often need to crop to overcome the camera's limitations. I rotate when I haven't managed to keep the camera level. It wouldn't be cheating to use a tripod, so why would it be cheating to rotate? Don't ever feel guilty about what you do to the picture afterwards. It is your picture, your eye, your mind, If you like it at the end, that is the only thing that matters. You can always keep an unedited copy of the picture in case you change your mind later.
I rarely crop but that's because I try to frame my photos when I take them mainly because I'm too lazy to crop them later. xD I've probably cropped like... 10 or so photos in my entire project so far. xD
I typically frame my shots how I want them before I press the shutter. However, there is nothing wrong with cropping in post-processing. It limits how large you can print, of course, but it is no different than cropping in the darkroom (and plenty of us used to do that).
Sometimes I specifically shoot "loose" so I can crop several versions later. Also good for creating different size prints, such as 8x10 which essentially crops a full inch of each end of the long edge. Unless you print everything to 2:3 ratio, you have to crop your images.
All of my square shots in my project are crops, and it's always because I find that it improves the composition. I do try to frame everything I need within the shot, but if you're shooting a fast-moving scene and the emphasis is just on capturing the moment, sometimes it's tough to make sure that the composition is perfect as well! I'm a very happy cropper :-)
I probably crop 90% of everything I shoot, I take most of my shots outdoors and so stuff inevitably gets in the way, even when I try to frame it how I want as I'm taking the shot. I've also found on a couple of occasions when I'm struggling to find even one half decent shot to upload that a severe crop of a mundane picture suddenly brings the image to life in a way I hadn't even noticed when taking the shot. Oh also, when I use the hipstamatic app to get my shots I don't crop at all as it seems to seriously affect the quality of the image so I really try to get the framing right from the off in that case.
I crop and recolor all the time. I don't have the best camera, so I often need to. I always keep an original copy of the photo and label it such so I can return to it in case I want to change it or remember why I changed it in such a way.
I try to get the composition the way that I want when I shoot, but that doesn't always work because either I can't get as close as I want or I missed something when I was shooting. I think if you have a tool that you feel will improve your shots you should use it.
Thanks to all of you for the answers. I usually do it because I have to snap an instant so the composition isn't always perfect or like you @egad I can't get close enough because of how far my lens allows me to go.
Thank you for the time everybody has taken to answer me!
Two schools of thought of this.
When you have time (no kids, no cars, no rush) you should walk around and study the subject and then adjust yourself and the camera so you do not have to do that.
Crop for the layout you want that your camera does not take, Crop because the world was pulling at you and you needed to get a shot in. Crop because your lens is not big enough to get just the object in the frame. Crop because someone walked into the middle of your shot or the smoked cigarette is just throwing off the photo.
I am from the second school of thought, but do try to set up my shot to get close to what I want as an end result. I personally am using a square format for most of my photos on here because I just want to and that requires all of them to be cropped.
@brumbe i agree! I found myself using a square crop really early on in my project and thought at first that i was cheating somehow, but now I totally embrace it!
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Sometimes I specifically shoot "loose" so I can crop several versions later. Also good for creating different size prints, such as 8x10 which essentially crops a full inch of each end of the long edge. Unless you print everything to 2:3 ratio, you have to crop your images.
Thank you for the time everybody has taken to answer me!
When you have time (no kids, no cars, no rush) you should walk around and study the subject and then adjust yourself and the camera so you do not have to do that.
Crop for the layout you want that your camera does not take, Crop because the world was pulling at you and you needed to get a shot in. Crop because your lens is not big enough to get just the object in the frame. Crop because someone walked into the middle of your shot or the smoked cigarette is just throwing off the photo.
I am from the second school of thought, but do try to set up my shot to get close to what I want as an end result. I personally am using a square format for most of my photos on here because I just want to and that requires all of them to be cropped.