Cropping is good, but don't overdo it with animal photos
Monday 12 May 2025, 16:16 by Nando Harmsen | 4,572 views | 5 commentsThis article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.
Cropping is good. It lets you create a beautiful composition that wasn't possible in the field. It allows you to put the finishing touches to the composition. But when it comes to animal photos, don't overdo it.
I often see enthusiastic wildlife photographers crop a photo heavily. This is often because they didn't have the desired focal length. Cropping gives you an enlarged view of the animal. There's nothing wrong with that.
Until the cropping becomes extreme. An animal digitally cropped so tightly that it's visible from nose or beak to tail. The edges of the photo are just barely avoided. That's a shame.
Of course, everyone has to decide for themselves, but I'm convinced that an animal needs room to breathe. There needs to be space to show the habitat, the surroundings. That gives you the opportunity to tell a story.
An animal shown from edge to edge is good for a biology book, or an identification guide. It's an impersonal representation of the animal. Show more in the frame, and the photo comes to life.
It's not a black-and-white story, of course. It doesn't mean you can never frame an animal this tightly. Do think about what you want to say with the photo. And choose what you think is best. Because sometimes a real portrait of an animal is beautiful too. But then we're talking about a form of portrait photography.
Then there's another potential problem that may come into play. Cropping means throwing away resolution. High-resolution sensors give you plenty of room to work with, but remember that extreme cropping also amplifies lens flaws and noise.
If you crop extremely, you may even think that a camera is poor when it comes to noise. But it's much more likely that the cause is an extreme crop.
Are you a wildlife photographer? Let us know what you do when cropping an image. How much of the photo do you want the animal to fill?
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.
You might also like
-
The opposite of croppingby Nando Harmsen
-
Crop or use a teleconverter?by Nando Harmsen
-
Difference in depth of field when cropping or using a teleconverterby Nando Harmsen
-
Landscape with or without an animal?by Nando Harmsen
-
Focusing on Large Groups of Animalsby Nando Harmsen
-
Show more than just an animal in the photoby Nando Harmsen
5 comments
-
Willem wrote on Tuesday 13 May 2025 at 13:07 | replyOnze hond is mijn model. Ik vind het mooi als ik zijn kop beeldvullend in beeld heb. Echter een totaal van het dier is ook niet verkeerd. Met mijn 18-400 (Tamron) hoef ik niet te croppen.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet. -
Nando
wrote on Tuesday 13 May 2025 at 13:17
| reply
Voor een huisdier fotograferen is croppen meestal minder van toepassing. Je kan er op 1 meter vanaf staan, of 10 meter. Je kan inzoomen als het nodig is, of uitzoomen.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.
Echter, ik weet uit ervaring dat je soms een foto van een mooi moment maakt waarbij je achteraf denkt: die zou wat meer close-up moeten zijn. In dat geval is croppen een mogelijkheid. Ook met een 18-400mm.
En dan geldt ook: ga niet te ver daarin. -
Joke vd Berg wrote on Tuesday 13 May 2025 at 14:38 | replyIk vind het wel een goede artikel, want ik ben zelf idd geneigd om best veel te croppen, ik zal hier in het vervolg beter op letten!
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet. -
guest wrote on Tuesday 13 May 2025 at 15:28 | replyIk gebruik mijn telelens ook vaak voor libellen en vlinders die net te ver weg zitten voor de macrolens. Ook met de minimale scherpstelafstand van zo'n 90 cm hou je dan nog weleens wat teveel ruimte over... croppen doe ik dus regelmatig maar wel altijd in de rawconverter en dan goed opletten op de kwaliteit. Belangrijk daarin blijft een goede compo en leefruimte voor het beestje, wat dat betreft ben ik het helemaal met je eens.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.
gr Ron -
Joseph wrote on Tuesday 13 May 2025 at 18:09 | replyIk maak veel foto's van vliegende vogels en de achtergrond is dan lucht en de vogels zijn dan klein. Dus croppen maar !!
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.
Have your say
Please note: Articles older than a week can only be commented on by signed-in visitors.Would you still like to comment? sign in or create a free account.
Elja Trum
Photofacts; everything to do with photography!
Would you like to take better photos and keep up with what is happening in photography? Photofacts publishes articles that teach you something about photography — from a product announcement to a practical shooting tip or a look at a website. Photofacts covers photography every day and is a hobby project of Elja Trum's that got out of hand. The articles are written by a team of volunteer authors. If you would enjoy writing one or more articles for Photofacts, do get in touch.More about PhotofactsPhotofacts is made possible in part by
