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Photography 101: Rules of Cropping | Bergen County Photographer

Cropping is one of the most basic photo manipulation tools that you can use to improve the look of your images. This process is performed in order to remove an unwanted subject or irrelevant detail from a photo, change its aspect ratio, or to improve the overall composition. In a portrait, it is even more important to pay attention on how you crop your image so you avoid stopping the viewer’s eye and making the pose look undirected and disorganized. Here are a few rules of cropping to help you improve your photographs.

  1. Avoid cropping at joints - It makes the subject look like something is missing or disconnected causing the eye to stop abruptly.

2. Crop at narrow points - Avoid cropping where the subject looks wider, such as right at the hips or thighs.

3. Crop above head or into forehead - Crop for a reason, if is is to focus on the face, crop into forehead.

4. Avoid overcrowding crops - Give your subject some breathing room and your image will look more relaxed and pleasing to the eye.

5. Focus on the main subject - Remove everything that draws attention away from the main subject.