The opposite of cropping

Saturday 6 September 2025, 14:07 by Nando Harmsen | 3,157 views | 3 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

Don't have enough focal length but still want more magnification? Then you crop. Got too much focal length? You won't get enough in the frame. Cropping won't help. But there is another solution.

We all crop from time to time to get more magnification. This is usually with wildlife photography, but not always. We cut away part of the photo so the animal appears larger in the frame.

How far do you want to crop? How much resolution do you want to retain at a minimum?
The consequence is lower resolution. Usually, that isn't a problem, because modern cameras have more than enough resolution. Much more than the average photographer will ever use. But don't crop too much, because the sharpness will deteriorate drastically.

Cropping is clear. It simulates a longer focal length. It can also happen that you have too much focal length. This sometimes happens in landscape or architecture and interior photography. Cropping isn't possible then.

Not enough wide angle to get this kitchen in the frame. What now?
There is a simple solution to this problem. Don't have enough field of view, and can't zoom out any further? Then make a panorama. That solves the problem in one go.

Don't make it more difficult than necessary. Turn your camera ninety degrees to portrait orientation. Use a shutter speed that allows you to keep the camera still. Then take a series of photos that together cover the field of view you want.

With three portrait-oriented photos, almost the entire kitchen can be captured. Perfect.
Make sure there is about 1/3 overlap. This allows software to join the photos together perfectly. Remember that you don't necessarily need to take lots of photos. Sometimes three or four are more than enough.

It is a good idea to photograph a slightly wider field of view than you need. You will then have some room for cropping. So cropping after all. With a panorama, however, loss of resolution is no longer a problem.

You can go as far as you like. But only photograph what is needed, plus a little extra to make the right crop.
Make a panorama horizontally with the camera in portrait orientation, or vertically in landscape orientation. If your shutter speed is too slow for handheld photography, use a tripod.

So you can crop when you have too much field of view. You can make a panorama when you have too little field of view.

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About the author

Nando Harmsen has been photographing for more than 40 years. He specialises in wedding photography and landscape photography. Nando also gives talks, workshops, masterclasses and photo trips, and regularly reviews new and interesting equipment.

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3 comments

Mac wrote on Monday 8 September 2025 at 08:13 | reply
The Pentax cameras have a nice feature.
you can actually move the sensor. it uses the sensor stabilization system for this.
It is of course limited, because the sensor can only move so much. But by moving the sensor you can increase your angle of view after stitching the photos.
it is not enough for panoramas, but indoors it can certainly be just enough.
Translated from Dutch.

Nando wrote on Monday 8 September 2025 at 09:37 | reply
I wasn't aware of this function (I was aware of sensor shift, but not of the extra possibilities). Thanks for sharing, Mac.
It does indeed provide a little bit of improvement. But it is and remains fairly limited.
If you're curious about this function: watch this video on YouTube to get an idea
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUf3-oHX2g8
Translated from Dutch.

Lauran wrote on Tuesday 9 September 2025 at 11:20 | reply
Besides nude photography of Playboy models, I also like taking photos that convey a feeling. So those photos don't have to be perfect, but should evoke the feeling of the situation. I recently went to Northern Ireland and took some photos there concerning the contrasts that still exist. That's precisely when it's about the feeling you're trying to convey. Very educational too.
Translated from Dutch.

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