Is it never okay to crop off body parts? Of course not. As the images in this section show, it can be done effectively. So go ahead—chop away.
However, keep in mind that effectively implementing your artistic license in this respect requires lots of experience. While Jason Voorhees might have easily hacked off limbs in the Friday the 13th movies, photographers should approach the amputation of body parts in their images with a lot more finesse. In particular, arms or legs that are chopped at the joint may be unsettling to the viewer.
To maximize your options, keep all those body parts in the frame while shooting and crop later.
JuliAnne Jonker orchestrated a unique composition for this senior portrait. Seniors appreciate this look, which is borrowed from the influential fashion industry. The absence of a head creates intrigue, while the pleasant S-curve and movement in the hair allows us to pause and enjoy the pleasantries in the arrangement of the shapes. Pore over fashion magazines to get ideas. Rip out the images that catch your imagination and keep them in an “inspiration” folder.
Infrared imaging, as shown in this photograph, can make the skin look like alabaster. The scarf used here was actually black, but the infrared light picked it up as a lighter tone—while, at the same time, making the sky and water go quite dark. Unusual cropping was used to enhance the impact of the image.
Jen Hillenga was the inspiration for this photo. She says that when a client questions her about cropped hands or top of a head, she quips, “I chopped off the feet, too. Did you notice that?” Normally, a hand would not be chopped in the middle of the fingers, but it’s all about the artist’s vision. In this close view, the partial hands work to frame the model’s face. In a full body shot, cropping hands like this might not work as well.
Dramatic cropping helps a photographer tell a story. In this image, you don’t need to see any more of the scene to understand the story—and including more might even have spoiled the impact of the photo. Photo by Jennifer Bacher.