A1.) What do you see? This original shot was to show how this yellow butterfly picked the one spot in the whole area that he blended in with perfectly! Next to a yellow leaf! How did he do that?
2. So if I crop down do I lose that perspective? You see the butterfly better, but wasn't the point of the shot that it chose such a perfect spot and isn't that lost now????I spent a lot of time playing with cropping tonight trying to decide what looked best. I decided to see what the rest of you think and why. Feel free to offer your opinions on any of them.
B 1.) This was my original shot. Lots of green setting off the flower and skipper.
2. Cropped down, you see a lot more of the flower, but the skipper lost a bit of crispness. Definitely center stage now! But is it better??
C1.) Love the yellow flowers in this original shot. The flowers definitely are the center of attention!
2. But if the bug is of interest.....cropping off some of the flowers brings it up closer. I personally like the original on this one.
D 1.) I was trying to identify the bird. I like the "fall" look beginning to show in the leaves around him, however.
2. This time I definitely can see the bird better.....the scroungiest looking Mockingbird I've ever seen! He only has one tail feather! I have other shots. I can still see a bit of color behind him.
E1.) This one has 3 stages.....original.
2. Still lots of flower to show what it is, but bug closer.
3. Bug!......but nice yellow still, if less easy to identify.
F1.) This original is basically a flower shot at this point (do you get the feeling that I like these flowers??)
2. Still lots of flower, but I am aware of the bug now.
3. Yellow bug, yellow flowers. I like this one!
G 1.) When I took this, I did not even know the damselfly was in the photo! Do you see it?
2. Now you can see it next to the butterfly on the right. Can't get much closer and have both.
I'm not sure I know any more now than before I started playing, but I at least realize why I did some of them......most of my cropping is sort of instinctive as to what pleases my eye rather than what I want to show someone else :-)
B 1.) This was my original shot. Lots of green setting off the flower and skipper.
2. Cropped down, you see a lot more of the flower, but the skipper lost a bit of crispness. Definitely center stage now! But is it better??
C1.) Love the yellow flowers in this original shot. The flowers definitely are the center of attention!
2. But if the bug is of interest.....cropping off some of the flowers brings it up closer. I personally like the original on this one.
D 1.) I was trying to identify the bird. I like the "fall" look beginning to show in the leaves around him, however.
2. This time I definitely can see the bird better.....the scroungiest looking Mockingbird I've ever seen! He only has one tail feather! I have other shots. I can still see a bit of color behind him.
E1.) This one has 3 stages.....original.
2. Still lots of flower to show what it is, but bug closer.
3. Bug!......but nice yellow still, if less easy to identify.
F1.) This original is basically a flower shot at this point (do you get the feeling that I like these flowers??)
2. Still lots of flower, but I am aware of the bug now.
3. Yellow bug, yellow flowers. I like this one!
G 1.) When I took this, I did not even know the damselfly was in the photo! Do you see it?
2. Now you can see it next to the butterfly on the right. Can't get much closer and have both.I'm not sure I know any more now than before I started playing, but I at least realize why I did some of them......most of my cropping is sort of instinctive as to what pleases my eye rather than what I want to show someone else :-)
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25 comments:
It is certainly a tricky subject Mary and I like you tend to work on instinct and if I like the shot hopefully everyone else will, it will always depend on the subject and what you are hoping to show in your image. There are lots of tips out there on how to make a great shot, unfortunately when you photograph wildlife and small birds like we do you don't really get chance to plan. Anyway rest assured that your photos thus far have all been great and an interesting post too. Mike.
It depends on your purpose and what you want to accomplish--and how close you can get to it. Youcertainly would not have gotten that closeup of the butterfly if youhad come close enough--like my bear.
Always difficult to decide. I go with quality, whenever possible.
I might make an exception when I take a photo of the Yeti, though. ;)
In short - go with your guts!
Cheers, Klaus
P.S.: Great Skywatch and Hodgepodge, too!
Thanks everyone....always nice getting advice from the best photographers out there!
Katney: Love your bear! Cool!
I agree with Klaus Mary. Cropping is a personal choice. In the first set, I would have shown both pictures but on things like bugs etc I crop out all the material which takes your eye away from the subject and brings it more into focus. BTW you have a wonderful selection of bugs here.
Hi Mary
This is a really great post and one that got me (and probably others) thinking about my own photos and how I crop them to suit what I want to show. 'Quiet paths' (find her on my blog favs) had a great shot a while ago with mountains and pelicans flying along. You didn't need or want to get a close up of the pelicans, the overall effect was what counted.
Mary: well, so far I'd say the consenses is that we should please our own eye and trust our instinct and that what we want to convy is important in how we crop.
It's your art - do it exactly like you want it. Nice pix.
Helen: Good philosophy!
I'm with Helen. No right or wrong crop job - go with the crop that "speaks" to you.
I started out with taking bird photos that would help me identify the bird; so I wanted close and detail. Then I found the beauty. Now I try to do a bit of both, for as Mike has said, with bird photography you don't always get a lot of planning time.
Your yellow Sulphur on the yellow leaf is a masterpiece! Without the cropping I think it would have been interesting, but the planning and cropping you put into the finished product is beautiful and now at the stage where everyone can see and appreciate what you really saw! Your presentation was just right on this I think.
ann
Very interesting photos and cropping.I agree with those who say go with what you like,having said that my husband and I crop very dfferently.He likes to crop in close,I perfer the whole picture.One thought,we often save in version sets so we have the original and the cropped version.
Annie: Well, that is the way I take pictures...what speaks to me...so I guess I might as well crop that way, too :-)
Ann:That yellow butterfly was the one that caused me the most indecision. I felt by cropping it down, I took away the whole idea of him choosing the one spot in the whole area that he matched. He looked like another leave hanging there. Only seeing him land told me where he was.
Yes Mary, it's what ever you want to show or focus on. What ever suits your fancy. I do have to say the poor little mockingbird looks like he got in a fight with a vacuum cleaner!! Great shot, both ways!
Can't really add to what's been said. Lots of us like your pictures, so you must be doing something right.
Ruth: I tend to be an "in between" cropper.....close enough to see the main subject but far enough to show some background when possible.
Eve: Yes, that mocker was really ratty! Don't know what he got into!
Wren: Thanks! It's been interesting to see what people think about cropping.
for me it comes down to what I want to see ... Many times I will crop to see a bug bee or bird and if I see a particular thing I want I usually will zoom in too... I have a kodak 12 mp 5 x optical zoom camera and it does a wonderful job for the price ... I have never learned how to alter photos other than to crop which is ok with me.
So through all this rambeling i reckon it comes down to what I want to see :) Love your photos!
I have no learned photography skills other than I crop until it appeals to me. I always like your photos and I like the cropped ones the best because to me they are more dramatic.
I agree--whatever pleases you. Except in the first instance. Even that has to do with what you are trying to show. If you had not shown us how the butterfly blended in we would never have known what we were missing.
Seeing something in context is sometimes the point, but seeing something close up is often better. Just my opinion, though. ;-)
Hi Mary- Great Post. When I crop, I try to put the subject in one of the "rule" of thirds hotspots. Divide the photo like a tic-tac-toe board, and place the subject where the one of the lines cross.
Tom
Laura: I zoom a lot also. I don't know how to alter photos either, except to occasionally try to lighten a dark shot. I get a lot of dark shots, so I wish I was better at that!
Sandy: I agree that cropped close is often very dramatic if the original can stand the cropping.
Rose: That first one was hard for me, but once I cropped it, I felt as long as I explained in words what I saw, it helped. But I'm not sure the shot stilled showed what I saw even though it looked better.
EG Tour Guide: In some of these I would not have seen everything unless I cropped, so close was definitely best!
Tom: That is a new idea to me! Will keep tic-tac-toe in mind. I tend to plop my subject right in the middle most often! I do like asymmetrical things, so sometimes I slide my crop to one side more.
Wow...you guys have all had a lot to say on the subject and I know I will think more about my cropping as I do it. Thanks for all the great input!
I think it's completely the photographer's prerogative and depends on what you're saying with the picture at the time. I like all of the versions of the shots because each one tells a different story.
When I'm editing, if I think the shot looks good from a distance and close-up I'll save it in both formats ready to use whichever way I choose.
2sweetnsaxy: I agree. I always save the original shot even when I've cropped them.
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