One of the more subjective topics in Photography is the framing or cropping of your photographs. Too tight and you lose the desired look, too loose and you don't emphasize the subject. Should you shoot in a horizontal format or a vertical format?
I've heard many theories on cropping ( and framing) over the years. Some pretty good and some not so good but there are a couple that stand out from the rest in terms of validity.
1- Compose your photograph in camera and then take two steps forward. Or...two steps backward.
This may sound a bit extreme but I have found that it is usually true. A tighter framing of any good composition can usually strengthen the composition. In an instance where tighter doesn't work, look at a looser composition.Vertical or horizontal, it really doesn't matter.
2- Cropping can add focal length. By cropping closer to your subject you can give the impression of added focal length in your pictures. Look at your catalog of images and evaluate each one for composition. Could they be improved by cropping in closer on the subject, or by using cropping to emphasize a detail or segment of a photograph?
3- Look for a shot within the shot. Many times you take a photograph concentrating on a particular aspect of a subject. After you get home and look at your images you may discover that there is more going on in the picture than you originally saw. Consider a crop that isolates this as a subject of its own.
The above ideas are good but rely heavily on your having properly set your camera as you take your photographs. Always use settings that are appropriate to the subject. Proper ISO selection, lens choice, correct metering pattern, good exposure. Having done this as you shoot your images will allow you some additional creative controls in the editing process. Look deeper into your photographs! Create new compositions using a different crop of your existing photographs.
Have fun with it! Always look for new ways to look at the "same old things"!
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