Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/01/14

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Re: To crop or not to crop
From: John Straus <Mail@SlideOne.com>
Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2002 11:06:44 -0600

on 1/14/02 3:07 AM, Arne Helme at Arne.Helme@stelvio.nl wrote:

> I shoot a lot of slide film with the intention to project slides.
> The slide is then the end result and cropping is not much of an option.

Very true. 

> When 
> scanning slides there is the additional advantage of cropping.  However, in my
> mind set it does not seem right to do so.

I can kind of see this but what if you have a great landscape with a horizon
thatıs off? Would you not straighten it and make a print for yourself or
rather just not use it at all...?

> I am so focused on the entire frame
> that cropping is not really an option.

As a learning process this might be a good idea as you'll always be reminded
of how you really made the shot but it will limit your end results.

> In fact, all photos on my web site are
> full frame uncropped photos.  I like to think of it as publishing the
> potential of a photo, and not a final picture.

When will you make the final pictures for yourself and us :) or will you
ever since you said cropping is not really an option...?

> Arne's PAW #2 2002 with the now famous ashtray that started this thread
> represents my interpretation of the scene at the time I took the photo.  Many
> of you LUG photographers are much more experienced than I am, and would have
> interpreted the scene very differently, and probably much better too.  PAW #2
> simply represents my best shot at it.

I wonder how much someone else shooting it would have made a difference? You
had a 28mm on the camera, saw the expression you liked, & shot it. I'm sure
it happened quickly as I think you said before. It was there then was gone.
Maybe a different lens would have made a 'better shot' but there was no time
for messing with that and you used what you had in hand.

> So, should I crop, or should I have made a different composition when the
> photo was taken?  Well, I am not into time traveling.  Therefore, cropping is
> the viable option if I want to improve on the initial composition.  Lessons
> have been learned here :-)!

And this is the whole point of shooting, posting, and asking for feedback :)

The posting full frame might get you more 'cropping critisizm' BUT you might
learn faster than the rest of us to shoot with 100% of that small 24x36 neg
for a better final image... I HATE cropping for that reason...

- -- 
John 
Chicago, IL 
http://SlideOne.com
==================== 

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