Tuesday, April 04, 2006
4/04/2006 06:24:00 AM

It's All in the Cropping : When Less Is More!

posted by FH2o




Wilson, a fellow blogger and keen photographer had been at the right place at the right time and had taken some amazing shots (see the top 2 photographs on the left) which I wished I'd been there to capture as well!



Good as some of those 'killer' shots were and with comments from some of his 'supporters' that he's gonna be as good as 'unka' if not better or something to that effect; brought on a chuckle as I knew from bitter experience that 'Rome is not built in one day'. Certain skills take time to develop. Lucky shots don't make a good photographer; consistently good shots do.

Anyway knowing what a good nature guy Wilson is, I'm going to take 2 of my favourite photos of his and do with them what I would have done (with mine) to 'improve' it so to speak; simply by doing some cropping as 'less is more'.

This is done in the spirit of sharing and learning and I'm just imparting some of what I'd learned over the years; and I'm not showing off by showing up Wilson here! He knows that. These are great shots taken by him but given an extra 'edge'.

This is one of the favourite things that I liked about digital photography as the cropping option is an invaluable and easily available tool (in Photoshop or other image manupulation software) to correct/achieve the composition that may be less than ideal/perfect in the first place.

See for yourself or perhaps I should have left Wilson's photos well enough alone! What do you think folks?

Oh and by the way I'm absolutely sure that Wilsonis well on his way to being better than unka but not just yet! Plus I'm also still learning and improving as I go along the way. Glad that I can be a 'benchmark' for comparision and hopefully an inspiration as well. Hehe!

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  At Tuesday, 04 April, 2006 Anonymous Emma said:

Maybe you can include one original shot so that we can also know how to 'crop' our digital photos.

  At Tuesday, 04 April, 2006 Blogger FH2O said:

emma - The 2 top shots were the original ones by Wilsons. And the bottom 4 shots are after the 'cropping'. Hmmm perhaps I had not been clear! ;)

  At Tuesday, 04 April, 2006 Blogger Robin said:

The rule of two third does apply in cropping...

Nice shots.

If you learn how to better compose your pictures, you won't have to crop as much. That means getting the subject (yes, you must know the subject of the pics) front and center in the shot, not off to one side.

It also helps if you can get as close as possible to your subjects. This can be accomplished by using your camera's zoom lens; And don't forget to use your feet; getting an extra step or two closer to your subject might be all you need to shoot a great picture, no cropping necessary.

But then again, there are also lucky shots which you point and shot at anything that moves.

  At Tuesday, 04 April, 2006 Blogger Wilson said:

Thanks Francis, you have teach me a lot and I really learn a lot from you. And thanks Robin for the tips as well. When I took photo, I'm too greedy. I always wanted to snap all the scene into one image, hm~~now must learn how to focus on one thing at a time :)

  At Tuesday, 04 April, 2006 Anonymous Anonymous said:

Sure, Rome is not built in one day, but then Rome isn’t much of a city either. It’s a ruin and only getting worse as time goes by.

You have to admit that Sydney is young and beautiful, right? Build in a fraction of time Rome took to build and most of all it's young and full of potential. Did I say "young" more than once? Sorry!

It’s possible. And perhaps the young and talented Wilson is more of Sydney than Rome.

By the way cropping is not a skill, it’s an agricultural technique. (hehe!)

Ok, they are nice and they offer slight variations and I enjoy all of them. I haven’t lost the kayaking discount, have I?

Here is another one for you while you enjoy looking at the mountain:
-It has roots but noone can see
-It’s taller than a tree
-And yet never grows

Jungleman

  At Tuesday, 04 April, 2006 Blogger FH2O said:

robin - actually the composition is more interesting with the object of focus being slightly off center - that's part of the rule thirds? no?

wilson - being humble and likeable as usual! once u've got the talent it's just a matter of honing it and being more perceptive and selective.

anonymous Jungleman - i know Sydney well since I graduated from there but have not had the good fortune to visit Rome yet; so I'm not that qualified to comment on the later!
Sydney is not that 'young' either with its history stretching back to prehistoric times and with the first european settlement founded by Arthur Phillip in 1788!
Cropping agricultural though it may be; its a Skill nonetheless. When you compose your shot through the viewfinder, you are in actual fact 'cropping' the scene you wanted to capture! ;)

  At Tuesday, 04 April, 2006 Anonymous miracle8 said:

Pity Wilson lah, being "put on the table" like that. I am sure he did not have any intentions of comparing with you, Mr. Ho. Wonder who was it who suggested that. Shouldn't art be a beautiful thing for us to appreciate? And beauty, being in the eyes of the beholder, is a very subjective concept. I would not compare the both of you.. simply because, the intentions of taking the pictures at that moment in time was different. The messages that each of you were trying to convey and the picture you both wanted to capture in your mind and your lenses are different. So why compare? Mutual admiration would be a much viable option, no?
Ok Mr Ho can throw rotten eggs at me already. (Puts on waterproof coat) :P

  At Tuesday, 04 April, 2006 Blogger FH2O said:

miracle8 - not comparing lah! That's not the intention and definitely not putting him on the table. Wilson is one of the nicest n most polite person I'd ever met. He's a really decent guy that I'll never put down.

Actually I spoke to Wilson before blogging this. He likes my photography and wanted my frank opinion on improving his. Not that I'm an expert; just that I had a head start being more senior! And I'm most willing to share whatever little I do know. A lot of ppl come here basically for my nice pics and nice feelings they get (sometimes!).

Both you and Wilson are way too nice for me to ever think of throwing rotten eggs!

  At Tuesday, 04 April, 2006 Anonymous miracle8 said:

:D Phew~
To be honest I'd have loved to go kayaking with you, but I can't swim >__< and I really don't want to freak you out with my gigantic size... hehehe. May need to custom make a kayak for myself.
And yes. Your pictures give me a serene, calm feeling. Like the nice feeling when I pull into the driveway when I get home. Ah. Bliss is the word.

  At Tuesday, 04 April, 2006 Blogger FH2O said:

miracle8 - i can't imagine you being that big from d pics of you in your blog ... believe me that I'm 'bigger' than most asians and I fit alright on the kayak!

i suggest we go for a short easy paddle from the jetty of my house one day together with wilson? u can sit in the same kayak as me for reassurance. interested? ;)

  At Wednesday, 05 April, 2006 Blogger slurp! said:

This post has been removed by a blog administrator.

  At Wednesday, 05 April, 2006 Anonymous miracle8 said:

really ah? wow I'd love to go! Wilson no need to kayak one, he can swim what. :P

  At Wednesday, 05 April, 2006 Blogger FH2O said:

miracle8 - great! will bear that in mind and arrange with Wilson. Don't worry, I have spare kayak for him as well!


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