Uncropped

[Ray]

The following image has been cropped slightly through a process of 'Free transform/Distort' in oder to straighten the verticals and horizontals. Otherwise it is essentailly uncropped. Could it benefit from cropping?

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[jani]

The following image has been cropped slightly through a process of 'Free transform/Distort' in oder to straighten the verticals and horizontals. Otherwise it is essentailly uncropped. Could it benefit from cropping?

I'll chime in again, just because I can't resist ...

Of course it can benefit from cropping, just see here:

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On a more serious note, I think the shot was well-composed enough as it was for the format you've presented. While not a particularly exciting and artistic shot, it's a pretty good documentary shot. Perhaps that's why I feel that way.

[Ray]

I consider my digital captures of these stone carvings will out-live the stone.

Okay! We're all suffering from some degree of delusion   .

[howiesmith]

Could it benefit from cropping?
[attachment=1781:attachment]
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Not in my opinion.  Cropping would not change what it is - a documentary image of a stone carving.  Lighting is OK though.  Maybe a bit over exposed for my tatses.  The face and neck have no visible details that I expect to see in weather syone.

[Ray]

Not in my opinion.  Cropping would not change what it is - a documentary image of a stone carving.

I don't understand this comment, Howard. Cropping changes everything without exception. Every photograph without exception is a crop and every photograph without exception can be improved with a different degree of cropping, although it is possible that the scope for improvement might be limited if the image was initially cropped excessively at the time the shot was taken. (That is, cropped too much by the choice of camera format, focal length and distance to the subject).

Maybe a bit over exposed for my tatses.  The face and neck have no visible details that I expect to see in weather syone.

True. I was probably a bit sloppy in the preparation of this image. It was a default conversion in ACR and the small amount of detail in the strong highlights has been reduced further due to size reduction and jpeg compression. However, there are no blown highlights in this image as can be seen in the following 100% crop of the highlight areas, which represents a print size of 30"x45".

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[howiesmith]

"I don't understand this comment, Howard. Cropping changes everything without exception. Every photograph without exception is a crop and every photograph without exception can be improved with a different degree of cropping, although it is possible that the scope for improvement might be limited if the image was initially cropped excessively at the time the shot was taken. (That is, cropped too much by the choice of camera format, focal length and distance to the subject)."

Well Ray, I do not agree (never have) that cropping could help every photograph.  My comment was intended to give the message that cropping would not change that fact that it is a document of someone else'd art work.

[Ray]

Well Ray, I do not agree (never have) that cropping could help every photograph.  My comment was intended to give the message that cropping would not change that fact that it is a document of someone else'd art work.
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Firstly, why should I want to change the fact that it is a document of someone elses art work. Things are what they are, whether it's a tree, a house, a waterfall or the Sydney Opera House. I don't see how cropping can change such facts. Of course, you can crop things entirely out of an image. You can crop things in such a way that they become unrecognisable, in which case you're getting into abstract photography.

Secondly, the shot is not just a document of someone elses art work. It's also a document of 800 years of weathering, erosion and more recent restoration and cleaning. The oriiginal carving would have been painted in ochre, black and gold against a background of white stucco, so in a sense this is a very poor document of the original finished art work.