Oh Crop!

Have you ever received a digital file from your photographer (or you took it yourself) and then you excitedly went to get it developed... only to have someone or something cut out of the final image? I have heard this before (and ashamed to say it has happened to me on accident in my early years.) All crops are not  created equal.

The crop. Let's talk about how this plays a huge role in printing your images and what the difference is to the image. Although all images are created by the camera at a 2:3 ratio (a 4x6 print) many print sizes do not have this same ratio. Because of this, depending on the size of your final print, part of your image may be cropped out.  

Below is a little handy guide to help... but really it is best to decide on your image size based on where you plan to display the print!

It is important to note that different crops will affect how your photo is printed. These examples do not show the actual size of the prints, but rather how each crop ratio will impact the amount of space around the subject of the photo. For canvas gallery wraps it is also important to note that even more image could be lost as the image actually wraps around the edges. 

Make sure you carefully review how images will be cropped before printing (Most printing companies have cropping tools available so you can adjust where & how your image is cropped or print through a professional and let them ensure that perfect crop).

* Another helpful hint - a lot of labs also "color correct" your images. You will want to ensure this is turned off. I carefully edit color & lighting on every image through a calibrated true-to-color monitor. Color correcting can degrade the quality I pride myself on, which can also happen through various printers as well (((reference this amazing blog post:  http://www.clickinmoms.com/click/blog-print-lab-comparison-pro-lab-versus-consumer-lab/ )))