[Leica] Re: Cropping

["Robert Meier" <robertmeier@usjet.net>]

Dave,

And if you consistently print full-frame, then it starts to affect your
shooting in a very positive way:  you start looking at the whole image in
the viewfinder, into all the corners and along all the edges.   You become
aware of how it all works together and what changes you need to make in
framing before you snap the shutter.   You make cropping a non-option
because you've already done the cropping.

Bob


"Thanks. I just spent time over the weekend in my darkroom. I printed 7
different negatives. Spent at least an hour on each and several hours of
time on a couple. They were all 35mm. I don't think that cropping improved a
single image.

I showed both full frame and  cropped images to a few people. Without
exception they liked the full frame shots the best. Initially, I thought I
had improved on a couple by cropping. But the feedback the people gave me
was that the uncropped images looked more natural. I think one person said,
"This one just looks more real." The images were taken during some
festivities. The people that I showed the prints to, and that made the
comments,  were people who were in the photographs.

I think there are times when cropping can definately change the look of an
image. Again, I'm not saying it's bad. But especially after my weekend of
printing, I'm sold that full frame printing is a most desirable goal. Now
every time I crop in Photoshop I'm going to be asking myself, "Is this
really an improvement." I don't think I can make that decision in an
instant. Maybe if I hang both (cropped and uncropped) side by side in plain
sight for a month I'd have a better idea. Aside from that, I think I need to
trust my initial instinct -- meaning what I saw in the viewfinder.

Dave"




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