#2 [Cropping]

#2, originally uploaded by WinnieMinnie.

Small details that make that little difference... This small nativity scene is so cute! Grandma possession.

In fact, I would like to talk a bit about cropping. I never cropped my pictures because I always heard that you must compose properly before shooting. So I spent many many years to learn some composition tricks.

Some time ago I discovered that cropping my pictures during post-processing was the best way to learn how to compose. Now I am able to compose better, at once. I still use cropping for a couple of reasons:

• I love the 10x10 format. Squared format opens up a new world.

• Sometimes I am not carrying a good zoom lens. What I do then? I stabilize the camera and take the picture. Later on I zoom the composition in, showing whatever I would like to show. When using this technique, its important to have a really sharp picture and a high resolution camera, because when you crop, you zoom in and if the camera has a low resolution, you will see the pixels. This kind of cropping is also not an option when you wish to produce prints bigger than 10x15, but for monitors works perfectly.

• I need to remove some disturbing element from the picture. In this case, I always judge while shooting and look for the best framing. When I get home and download the picture, I apply the crop.

Next time better: I could have focused more on the baby and also removed the tiny wire on the top of the nativity...