Cropping for impact.
Welcome to my latest blog, which today is focusing on why you should take the cropping of your photographs very seriously, and why a great crop can make a world of difference to your photos.
Cropping a photo means cutting away the outer edges of an image to focus on a specific part or to change its shape or composition. Essentially, cropping helps you refine the image so it shows exactly what you want.
Cropping is one of the most powerful post-processing techniques in your editing armamentarium, which if used correctly can enhance your photographs and create maximum impact. Cropping involves consciousness decisions to remove unnecessary elements from the edges of your image to guide the viewer’s eye and strengthen the composition. It also helps to set your subject, the point of focus, where it will evoke maximum interest.
There are three fundamental principles to great cropping: composition, focus, and story.
One bit of guidance is to use the rule of thirds. Imagine dividing your image into nine equal sections using two horizontal and two vertical lines. Placing your main subject or points of interest along these intersecting lines or along the lines themselves instantly makes the composition more dynamic and engaging than centering the subject. However, rules are there to be broken as you will see later.
Eliminate distractions from the edges of your photo. Are there distracting bright spots, unwanted objects, or excess background (negative space) that pulls attention away from your subject? Cropping these elements out will declutter the frame and ensure the viewer's gaze locks onto your intended focal point.
Cropping can drastically alter the narrative. For a dramatic portrait, you might crop in tight on the eyes or face to convey intense emotion. For a landscape, you might crop to emphasise a striking foreground element or to balance a heavy sky against a narrow horizon, drawing the viewer deeper into the scene.
Don't be afraid to experiment with different aspect ratios (e.g., 16:9, 4:3, or a square 1:1). Sometimes, a subject that felt weak in a horizontal format can become arresting when cropped into a tight vertical frame.
Always crop non-destructively in your editing software so you can return to the original at any time. A powerful crop is one that doesn't just make the photo smaller, but makes it better by creating tension, simplifying the scene, and immediately communicating your vision.
Here's a case study to help you understand the differences cropping can make to a photograph. Please note that I will only be talking about cropping and not about any other aspect of photo editing.
This is a photo I took, but it wasn't until I later reviewed it that I realised there was a jetty poking its way into the right-hand side. This was the first thing I wanted to remove.
The first crop was an improvement, but it meant the central characters were not central!
I also thought the bottom of the image could be improved by a bit of cropping.
Next, I wanted to address the question of where to place the two figures. I opted for more or less centrally, so I cropped in from the left. You should note that I also cropped the sky so as to produce a more rectangular image, which works better with a centrally placed subject.
My crops aren't the only ones I could have performed. Each photograph opens up a world of opportunities when it comes to editing. I think it's the principle you need to take onboard and then head off and play with your own images.
By the way, cropping can also be performed by cropping from the centre and working out, this way you are working in reverse, revealing parts of your image as you progress towards the edges. Some photographers prefer to work this way, rather than working from the outside in.
I hope this short blog has been informative and dare I say, instructive. Please drop a comment below. You can also follow me on Instagram and Threads @smart_phone_photographer_53.
© Mike Young 2025.
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