cropping your photos to create drama

When you take a photograph, you’ve got a specific image in mind that you want to record. But the camera may record a wider field of vision than just your point of interest. Later, when you look at the photograph, you may be tempted to paint the entire scene. Before you do that, experiment with cropping the photo. Ask yourself what it was that you were most interested in when you took the photo, and then try cropping in on the subject to find the best composition.

the original photo
This photograph shows far more than the rock formation, which was the subject I had in mind when I took the photo.

first crop
Cropping makes a more interesting composition, but there’s still more foreground than necessary.

cropping further In
Another crop takes the composition down to the main point of interest. Note how the rock formation feels more massive and impressive when seen up close than it did from far away, and how the cast shadow becomes an important element in the composition.

final crop
With the final crop, the light on the bluff becomes the most interesting thing about this photograph—my original intent.

Arkansas Bluff
11" × 17" (28cm × 43cm)

paint the scene
Cropping the photo led to a painting primarily of the bluff, with the trees as lesser points of interest. The beautiful colors of the rocky bluff draw the eye, so leaving in those elements cropped from the photo only would have made the scene overly complicated and busy, detracting from the focus.