i got the shot photography
  • Home
  • About
  • Investment
    • Holiday Cards
  • Blog
  • Awards
  • Community
  • CONTACT INFORMATION
Elaine Mueller Tweedy
           (570) 575-1705

Project 52 - Week 46:  Aspect Ratio

11/18/2016

6 Comments

 
Aspect ratio relates to the dimensions of an image by comparing the width to the height and expressing it in ratio form.  It's written like this - width : height (width always comes first).  Aspect ratio is determined by the dimensions of your camera’s sensor (or the film type, if you have a film camera). Because the camera already has them figured out, we sometimes get used to using only one ratio over others and don't necessarily pay attention to them while photographing our subjects.  That is not the best world.

Some cameras (mine included) allow you to change the aspect ratio in camera, using the camera's menu.  But, you can also crop your photograph to a different aspect ratio in post-processing.

Why does aspect ratio matter? Well, without considering the aspect ratio when taking photographs of your subject, you might not leave enough room around your subject to frame well, or you may have too much empty space around the subject.  It's a good idea to become familiar with what the particular aspect ratio is with regard to your camera.  This will help you compose better images.

I often would rather leave too much, rather than too little space around my subject, because I can always crop down when processing the image. 

Our assignment this week was to take a photograph and crop it to different aspect ratio sizing to see which ratio might be best in a given situation.  For this week I took a sort of nondescript photograph of Bethy.  Here is the original.
Picture
Below are the cropped versions of this image in the following aspect ratio order - 1:1 (square), 3:2, 4:5, and 16: 9.  Take a look at each and compare them to each other.
Picture
Aspect Ratio 1:1
Picture
Aspect Ratio 3:2
Picture
Aspect Ratio 4:5
Picture
Aspect Ratio 16:9
This was a relatively easy image to use, because I did not have to worry about any additional things which might have surrounded Bethy.  In this case, my wide aperture blurred them out and added some bokeh and color.  But, you can see how things can get very complicated when there are items surrounding the subject that you may want to keep in the image. 

So which image aspect ratio appeals to you for this particular image?

I recently moved from a crop sensor camera to a full frame camera, and it took me a while to get used to the extra space I had in my images. I had to relearn how close to stand to my subjects and revamp my composition thinking when it came to how much to include or not include in a photograph. Aspect ratios were a help in this relearning process.

For more on aspect ratios, start here with BARKography by Kim Hollis, based in Charlotte, North Carolina.  Then, follow the link at the end of each blog post until you are back here again.  Happy reading!
6 Comments
Jessica link
11/18/2016 05:16:50 am

I'm really drawn to the 3:2 and 1:1 crops, which allow the focus to fall right on that beautiful pup without any distractions from her surroundings.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Reply
Elaine
11/18/2016 08:14:43 am

The two you mention are the same two that I like as well. :)

Reply
Kim link
11/18/2016 06:18:32 am

Oh, I love this blue background and the serious gaze Bethy is giving you. I like both the 1:1 or the 3:2. Sometimes I have a hard time deciding which is my most favorite - I do this with my images all the time!

Reply
Elaine
11/18/2016 08:16:28 am

Kim, that background is actually my car and a fence...LOL. Gotta love those wide apertures. I like to do the list of different crops too. Then I roll my chair back and look at all of them across the screen to make a final decision.

Reply
Susannah link
11/18/2016 09:11:07 am

I'm torn on this one. I think I like the 4:5 ratio best...it reminds me of a book cover, but I also like the 1:1 and the 2:3.

Reply
Darlene link
11/20/2016 08:04:05 pm

Beautiful image! The blue and the bokeh -stunning. I am going to go with the square crop on this one. That close connection with the eyes making it very intimate. Great job!

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    i got the shot

    What People Are Saying:

    "Elaine made working with my somewhat hyper dog look easy.  I can't believe the beautiful photos that came from his session!"
                                ~Tanya & Max


    "We love our family photos! It's hard to find a photographer that captures people AND their pets so well. Thank  you!"
                               ~Beverly

    "Elaine did my Senior photos.  They are stunning and I was so proud to hand out my wallets.  I honestly did not see better photos than mine in all the photos I collected.. She made the whole session fun and enjoyable."
                               ~Mia

    "Such a great studio!  I felt so relaxed with our dogs.  Elaine really is a very kind and talented artist.  We LOVE the artwork that came from our sessions."
    ​                           -Ron & Lee

    RSS Feed

(c) Copyright  I Got the Shot Photography
 All Rights Reserved

Proudly powered by Weebly