Learning from Your Crops

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Cropping to change aspect ratio for a print (like 8x10) is totally acceptable.

Cropping has been part of photography ever since there were darkrooms. With digital cameras, cropping is an easy and effective way of improving composition. In fact, with the newer high-resolution cameras available now, you can crop into your images as never before. If you’re a crop-aholic, you might want to step back and ask yourself why you’re cropping the image in the first place. This is a good exercise to do for improving your own skills and refining your creative eye.

There are many “old school” pros out there who say you should strive to never crop post-hoc, and always try to crop with the camera. But that approach breaks down for certain subjects, especially moving ones. Let’s tone the rule down a little and say you should try to avoid getting shots that require you to crop after the fact. But there are valid reasons to crop.

Top Reasons to Crop an Image

  • Change aspect ratio
  • Remove unwanted items from image borders
  • Strengthen composition

Of these reasons, only the first one is absolutely necessary. A DSLR with a 3:2 aspect ratio isn’t going to produce a natural 8×10 image. If you find yourself repeatedly trying to improve your composition by cropping, ask yourself what you could have done in the field to get a better shot in the first place. Even if you have a 36 megapixel D800, wouldn’t you rather be able to put as many of those pixels on your subject as possible? Continue reading →

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Photo of the Day: Dawn Wader

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Dawn Heron (Click to Enlarge)

This tricolored heron lesser yellowlegs was active just as dawn was breaking at the Black Point Wildlife Drive in Merritt Island NWR. I knew that the shot here was almost as much about capturing the colors in the sky as it was getting a sharp shot of the bird, so I set up my tripod fairly low to capture the reflections of both bird and sky.

Update: Thanks to numerous readers for pointing out that my heron is actually a lesser yellowlegs. I was photographing both birds in the area and obviously got my wires crossed. I guess blogging before my morning coffee isn’t such a good idea.

When I processed this image, I chose to take it down a more creative path than I’d get by just saturating the colors and enhancing the contrast. Instead, I used the “Pastel” filter in Nik’s Color Efex Pro to get a diffuse look that enhanced the oranges and blues. I then used a Flypaper Texture in another layer to get the brush effects. The last step was a return trip to Color Efex Pro 4, where I added a mild corner darkening effect with the Vignette Lens filter.

If you’re interested in learning more about these techniques, check out my video workshop, Layers of Creativity, and you’ll see how the process works.

Save 15% off Nik’s Color Efex Pro 4 when you shop from this link (USA/Canada residents only)

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Nikon D800… decisions, decisions.

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With 36 megapixel resolution, the Nikon D800 is competing with medium format cameras

By now, you’ve already probably heard that Nikon announced the much-anticipated D800 DSLR last night. The big news: a 36 mega-pixel 35mm (FX) sensor. Thirty-six million pixels. In a $3000 DSLR. Keep in mind that the D3x, Nikon’s high-res flagship, is a 24MP camera that sells for nearly $8000. That’s pretty crazy stuff. For a few extra hundred bucks, you can opt for the D800E, a variant that eliminates the optical low-pass filter (anti-aliasing filter) for even more detailed images (but at the risk of moire or other artifacts that would need fixing in post).

I’m already getting messages and emails from people who are jumping at the chance to pre-order this new camera. But ask yourself this: What are you going to do with all those pixels? With this much resolution, Nikon is clearly pushing into territory once reserved for Medium-Format backs and such. If you’re someone who shoots the kinds of subjects that need that kind of a file, then the D800 might be an incredible solution. However, there are always things to think about with any new camera, especially one that carries this much resolution. Continue reading →

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