Clever Cropping...

...just a little trick for all you SAHM's out there who *love* photography as much as I do. This is basic post-production 101 stuff, but a really good trick that is often overlooked...

For a dramatic result, you can take a "so so" picture like this....



and turn it into this....



With just a little photoshop work.

The first is the shot SOOC (Straight out of the Camera), with just a basic black/white conversion added. I threw in some contrast, a touch of exposure, and bumped my blacks - basic, basic stuff. Below, you'll see the same picture cropped using the "rule of 3rds" which I LOVE. I wanted the focus to be on her amazing eyes, and it worked out great! Don't be afraid to trim a little off your subjects face (forehead especially) to really bring out facial features.

I did the same with her beautiful sister here...


...this one is SOOC...



...and cropped a little - off center and focusing on "rule of thirds" to create movement...



...and cropped a little more/converted to black and white for a different look....



I shoot with a Canon 5D, paired with this lens, and this lens for most of my work these days. I also take along my old Rebel Xti (which this lens never comes off of), and shot ALL the above pics with it. It's the camera I recommend to all my clients/photo enthusiasts who want to take better pics of their kids on a daily basis - you can get both the body & lens for around $1,000.

Y'all enjoy! PB :)