PHOTOGRAPHY 101 – Part 2: Cropping for Composition

Paivi Lobigs photo titled ‘Ready to Go’ won the A Grade Gold Award at the Tin Can Bay Camera Club

Paivi Lobigs photo titled ‘Ready to Go’ won the A Grade Gold Award at the Tin Can Bay Camera Club

By Julie Hartwig, Tin Can Bay Camera Club

Crop formats for composition can be horizontal, vertical, square or panoramic. Remember that while the human eye views the world in the horizontal format, cameras (any type) also have the capability to capture images in vertical, square and panoramic formats. Simply turn your camera 45 degrees for verticals or choose a different aspect ratio!

  1. Horizontal crop: Also known as ‘landscape’ crop, this format is best suited to scenes/subjects that have predominantly horizontal elements such as horizons, horizontal lines, and elements arranged in a horizontal alignment. Horizontal crops can be applied to any image, though some are more suitable than others.
  2. Vertical crop: Also known as ‘portrait’ crop, this format is best suited to scenes/subjects that have predominantly vertical elements. For example, portraits of people, tall buildings, objects projecting upwards or downwards. Again, any subject is suitable, even landscapes.
  3. Square crop: Simply an image cropped to a square. This is often done to horizontal or vertical photos to give a centrally placed subject more impact.
  4. Panoramic crop: Any crop where the width of the image is at least twice the height. This crop is used predominantly in landscape photography to give a wide view of a scene.

If you’re not sure which crop format best suits, study the elements in the scene and take horizontal and vertical. More 101 composition tips next issue!

The Tin Can Bay Camera Club’s next meeting: Wednesday March 18, 7pm at TCB Library. Visit the Club website at tincanbaycameraclub.wix.com/tcb-camera-club.

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