The Camera Frame - Cropping

Most often photographs taken by an amateur lack visual impact because there is too much information - their framing is not critical enough - the intended subject gets lost - in effect they just do nor move in close enough.

If the image we have taken in the camera contains extraneous information we can of course crop the image to the dimensions that produce the image we desire. However, as mentioned, because capture mediums - both film and digital - have limited resolution the more accurately we are able to frame the image within the view finder - the larger we can enlarge the work without noticeable grain - pixelation or other aberrations.
The more we crop the image the more the quality drops off - and while in some cases this might be desirable - its usually avoided. The image can also look less sharp.
If you find you are continually unsatisfied with the way you frame the subject - try various ways to crop the images with a set of L shaped cards. You can place these over the image and slide them up and down and from side to side. Challenge yourself to mage 6 or so compositions within an existing image.		Mouse over
Eventually you will begin to see how you can improve the framing of your images when you are taking them.		Mouse over