Photo Cropping Guidelines

[Matt Ottosen]

I normally keep my photos cropped to the ratio they come out of my camera (8x12).  I went and printed a photo the other day, just something quick to give to a friend.  Because of how tight the crop was I couldn't print it at 8x10, I had to print it at 8x12.  I then found it very difficult to find a 8x12 frame right off the shelf.

Now I'm wondering if I should crop all my photos to an 8x10 ratio, or should I keep them at an 8x12 ratio?

It's not really a big deal, but any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Lynn Evans]

When you need to crop to a non standard size for the best photo, you may be able to go to a larger standard size, then get it matted by a frame shop. It is less expensive than getting a custom frame built.

[Jay Beckman]

Really late to the party on this (sorry) but what I usually do is simply shoot a little wider to allow for different crops.

If I'm going to stay 2:3 ratio (camera native) I simply have to pull in all four sides a little.  If I want to do 4:5 instead, I have the "slop" on all sides where I can afford to give up the necessary edges (depending on landscape / portrait) and not clip a wingtip or a nose/tail.

Unfortunately, the photo industry has been really slow off the mark regarding frames for 2:3 aspect ratio.  They still think everyone is running around with Speedgraphics and other view cameras where the native aspect ratio is 4:5!