One of the earliest pieces of advice I received in regard to my photography was not to crop the top. I was walking around Epcot World Showcase at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida with a friend when I took a picture of St Mark's Campanile in the Italy Pavilion. I was proud of it, so I showed my friend. His immediate comment was to be careful to include the entire building when shooting it. Below is the infamous 2008 image. Next to it you will find how far I have come over the past decade-plus, 2019.
Let’s compare apple to apples now instead of adding in eleven years of experience. Below is the same subject. The first photo has the top of St Mark’s Campanile cut off. The second is properly cropped 2019.
When traveling, the goal is to quickly take the photo and move on to the next exciting thing. This is a very simple way to drastically improve your photos. Below are the ruins of John Brisben Walker’s Castle found in Mount Falcon Park in Jefferson County, Colorado, 2009. Since I was hiking, I was in a hurry to snap a picture before moving on. In my hurried approach, I neglected to capture the entire chimney causing the quality of the photo to suffer.
Architecture is not the only subject that can fall victim to a poor crop job. The below photo of the Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster found at the Kennedy Space Center in Brevard County, Florida, 2018 was taken very quickly which hurt both the top and the bottom of the shot. Since this object is so large, it was hard to capture the entire thing in the frame. The photo would have benefited immensely if I would have taken a few steps back.
The top is not the only thing that needs to be minded. When taking a picture of something, quickly glance around the frame and see if there is anything cut off. This sign of the Guanella Pass summit area in Summit County Colorado, 2018 suffered from a quick, haphazard shot. If I would have taken a couple of moments to step back and ensure the entire sign was captured before clicking the shutter. Remember, you can always crop the photo smaller after the fact.
The final example of poor cropping is of a helicopter at St. Anthony’s Hospital in Jefferson County, Colorado, 2015. I was so excited to see the bird, I snapped a quick photo. Although having the right blade cut off does not do as much harm as some of the above images, it still could have been improved if I was being mindful about edges.
When I go out on a photo shooting adventure, I come home with hundreds of photos. I have to quickly sift through to find the best shots of the day. One way I quickly discard images is seeing if the edges were properly captured.
Tip: Two things that will help prevent the unwanted crop of the top, first take a beat and glance at the frame before clicking the shutter. Is the entire object in the shot? Second, take several shots of the same thing, slightly moving the camera each time, maybe even adjusting the zoom.
Like most rules of photography, there are times this is meant to be broken. Ultimately, photography is about creative expression and there are times when cropping the top enhances the photo.
Unlike the Solid Rocket Boosters, sometimes it is nearly impossible to get the entire subject into a single shot. Below is the guitar in front of Rock’n’Roller Coaster in Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort, 2018. If you have been there, you know that the neck of the guitar wraps all around the courtyard and up to the entry arch. For situations like this, find a spot that it would make sense to crop it and take the picture. Note, be mindful of the crop, the neck is okay to crop, any part of the body cropped out this would diminish the quality of the photo.
The fall leaves on this branch found on Corona Pass in Grand County, Colorado, 2015 are cropped to make the photo more interesting in my opinion. Personally I think the photo would lose some balance if I had left some blue space between the top of the branch and the edge of the frame.
My last example of artistic cropping comes from the entry plaza at Disneyland Paris, 2018. As you can imagine, my first trip to this park, I was excited and wanted to get into the park as quickly as possible. I was able to take in what I was seeing and add a little angle to the shot. The turrets were not the subject of the photo so I was comfortable cropping them out to frame the sign and clock the way I wanted.
Photography is about self-expression. The rules of photography are not hard and fast. However, when looking at a photo that seems like there is something off, that could be one of the rules neglected. When taking photos while traveling, near or far, take a moment to ensure that everything you want to capture is in the frame.
If you are feeling brave enough, share some of your “favorite” cropped tops below!
