Project 15 - Cropping

This project about cropping was performed on-screen as opposed to using hard copy prints.

I chose three photographs that I had taken recently with totally different subjects.


Five white benches

This photograph of five white benches was taken in a park in Jerez de la Frontera and was one of several that I decided not to use for assignment 1. The 'contrast' that I had in mind was white and I used a vertical frame to best capture the benches.



The first crop kept the vertical frame but focussed on the two benches in the foreground, eliminating two of those further away and the wall in the foreground. It is a better composition but I don't like the wall on the left-hand side.


The second crop turns the frame around to keep the five benches but eliminate the wall in the foreground, although, unfortunately, not that on the left of the frame.


Finally, there is a third crop, keeping the vertical frame but including four benches, two being visible in the distance. Again the foreground wall is removed and that to the left retained.


My conclusion from trying to crop this picture is that it is much more difficult if the original composition is not well thought through and contains unwanted objects that cannot be easily removed. However, there are some interesting shapes and diagonals which draw the eye.



Orange VW

I took this shot for the colour of the van, without much hope that I could get a satisfying composition out of it. My choice of shot was restricted by the fact that the vehicle was tightly parked.



In the event, I was able to crop the frame to obtain quite a pleasing composition, highlighting the 'California' name, the VW badge and the wonderful colour. Again, there are some interesting shapes and lines which help the composition.



Market scene

The third photograph was taken at the weekly market in Chiclana and was one of several shots trying to capture the hustle and bustle of the place.






In the first crop, I wanted to tighten the composition and also remove the large patch of sky in the top left-hand corner of the frame.


As the coloured wheels in the top right-hand corner looked interesting, I cropped hard to feature them.


Finally, I wanted to see if I could use the woman in the foreground as the colour of her top was very vibrant and I could balance her with the colour of the wheels. The diagonal formed by the green boxes is stronger in this crop and helps the composition.



There is no doubt that cropping is a very powerful tool in removing unwanted/unsightly objects from a composition (too much sky or electricity poles) but, as shown above, it can be use to highlight interesting objects not originally to the fore when the photo is taken. In fact, cropping can completely change the subject of the original photograph, in this case away from a bustling market scene into compositions emphasising shapes and colours. An interesting project.