Objective: Similar to a previous exercise, we are now tasked to take 3 of our previous photos and look at cropping them into a better composition. We also need to document why and how the images are improved after the crop.
Prior knowledge: As with the other exercises in the course, plenty of cropping and changes in composition have been dealt with. This should help in the cropping process and it will be interesting to see how I perceive the pictures with fresh eyes.
Preparation: I took three photos and cropped them in Lightroom 4. I will post a series of screen shots and place these below each relevant photo for reference of how and why I came to the final images.
Process:
[126]
High-rise Fire
This is the unprocessed photo of a recent building fire.
[127]
High-rise Fire Crop 1
In this first chosen crop, I have excluded the side of the buildings on the right side because they were a distraction.
[127A]
Lightroom Crop 1
Screen shot of Lightroom crop
[128]
High-rise Fire Crop 2
I went for a close up square crop for this second option. I think the square crop helps focus the eye onto the fire damage better.
[128A]
Lightroom Crop 2
[129]
Burj Khalifa Sunrise
Original converted file of a morning sunrise shot of The Burj Khalifa. Slight toning was applied in Lightroom.
[130]
Burj Khalifa Sunrise Crop 1
Being the tallest building in the world, it was not a hard decision to make this first crop vertical. I have left the bushes in the foreground to help lead the eye towards the Burj.
[130A]
Lightroom Crop 1
[131]
Burj Khalifa Sunrise Crop 2
Due to the amount of buildings on either side of the Burj Khalifa, I thought it would make a good panorama crop. Although the shot would look better if taken with multiple shots, then stitched. For this exercise this is a basic crop of the original. Care had to be taken to not crop too low to the top of the Burj Khalifa.
[131A]
Lightroom Crop 2
[132]
The Squirrel
This was taken in Wales, near the Shropshire border. I saw this Squirrel eating on the post, but could not get close enough without scaring it at the time. So as I walked forwards I took what I could get before it ran off.
[133]
The Squirrel Crop 1
For the first crop I took out the distracting bright green bushes in the background on the righthand side. The point of interest however is still too small, so a second closer crop will be required.
[133A]
Lightroom Crop 1
[134]
The Squirrel Crop 2
A closer crop now helps to focus the eye towards the Squirrel. Although at this point a further crop even closer would be more helpful, for the point of this exercise you can see that even with some marginal adjustments, the distracting background areas have been eliminated and the crop has brought the animal closer to an intersection point on the right lower thirds.
[134A]
Lightroom Crop 2
[135]
The Squirrel Final Crop
For this image when a longer lens may not be readily available, a final crop like the one above would be more appropriate.
Conclusion: How we crop an image is an important part of the final process, and cropping is one of the most fundamental principles in image composition. When done correctly the image can be transformed into something totally different to the original.
As seen above, objects can be brought closer, taken away or manipulated to position within the frame transforming the whole image and intended view.
No two images will be the same, therefore no two types of cropping will be the same either. One picture may have the potential of a multiple set of final images.
When framing the picture in camera, its often worth allowing a slight overlap or dead space to allow for post cropping. Nothing is worse than trying to crop an image in post to find to so would cut off the top of a building, trees etc. in landscape mode, or someone’s head in a portrait shot.
O.C.A. BA (hons) Photography Degree Course 
Love the last burj shot.