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.
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.
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.
Aspect Ratio 1:1
Aspect Ratio 3:2
Aspect Ratio 4:5
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!
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!
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