The Importance of Cropping

Martin Wong ·

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Key takeaways

  • Cropping changes the whole photo. You can turn a boring or crowded picture into an interesting one that draws attention to one subject.
  • Ugly locations are fine. Most of my portrait shoots happen at very ugly places, and strategic cropping keeps the focus on the subject.
  • Real example. A rushed horizontal shot of a Stormtrooper family in a busy LA Convention Center hallway became subject-focused after cropping, and the space even looked more futuristic.

Cropping can make a huge difference in your photography.

You can easily turn a boring or crowded picture into a very interesting photo that draw attention to a particular subject.

In fact, most of my portrait photoshoots are conducted at very ugly places, but with strategic cropping, I made the focus on my subject.

Here’s an example of a hallway photo I took at the Los Angeles convention center. There was a lot of people walking around but this Stormtrooper family really stood out for me. I took the picture in a rush and only took horizontal (landscape) photos as they stopped for a minute. The other people were definitely very distractive, however, cropping solved the situation. Not only it is more subject focused, the convention space also looked more like a futuristic structure. With a few more minor adjustment, this picture has a totally different feel.

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Tags:

Cosplay

Before and After

Editing

Comikaze

Star Wars

Cropping

Photo from the post The Importance of Cropping

FAQ

Can cropping fix a photo with distracting people in the background?

Yes. In my Stormtrooper family shot the other people were very distracting, and cropping solved it while making the image more subject-focused.

Do you need a nice location for a good cosplay portrait?

Not necessarily. Most of my portrait shoots are at very ugly places; strategic cropping puts the focus on the subject.

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