Chop top of head off

[AaronLLockhart]

The easiest way to be able to tell what to clip and what not to, is look at how much of the subject is framed versus clipped. If you take a full body shot of an athlete and then clip the top of his head, that would look absolutely terrible, the same as if you clipped him at his knees.

Let's use an image that I have taken as an example:
View attachment 16609

I have clipped both the top and left side of her head (right side of the picture), but this is probably one of the better photos I have taken, portrait wise.

Because this is a head shot, clipping the areas that I clipped does not matter. Whereas, if this portrait were a full body portrait... it would look awful.

I hope this helps you.

Yeah, I get the obvious chops that look horrible, but its the gray area where it gets confusing. I like these debates....gives you other people's perspective on the issue

See, I think this is where you have confused yourself. You think that there is a Black/White, and a gray area. However, there isn't. There aren't times that it's ok to clip a photo and times it's not in the same photograph. This would be considered a gray area.

Not only is there not a gray area, there isn't a black and white.

You have convinced yourself that there are a specific set of rules to follow when framing your photograph. Would photography be considered art if there were a set of limiting rules you had to follow in the pieces that you create? No. There are no guidelines for an oil painting on what an artist must paint, or even how it's framed on the canvas. So, what makes this art form any different?

Lose the "rule book," and shoot what you feel is right.

 

[bunny99123]

I agree. I use to sketch people and animals. Never gave it much thought on where I sketched on the page. Won many contests.

I know there are basics for photography just as there was for drawing, but you had the freedom to express yourself. I feel more restraints when sharing with other photographers.

If the Pros can chop heads in portion to body... Then I say go for it. Even some of their exposures are blown.

Yes, I have a lot to learn, and i shoot without carrying a cheat sheet on rules of photography.

Yes my last posted photos were out of focus. I would rather look at a photograph that is technically not adequate vs a boring perfect focus, perfect exposure, etc photo. Many people can produce both

Wow this has become an interesting post!

 

[Derrel]

I've been wondering the same thing about when to follow and when not to follow all the rules. Take a look at these olympic portriats taken by Neil Leifer. The are all GREAT, but they have head's chopped as well as other body parts at times. Most of them are landscape oriented as well, which leaves noobs like me totally confused.
Serena Williams - Gold medal tennis player - U.S. Olympic Medalists - Photos - SI Vault

Well, this ties in VERY well with posts 10,11,and 12: the athlete images in question are used as eye candy to drive PAGE CLICKS to Sports Illustrated's web pages...the web is a mostly-horizontal presentation, and it is now being consumed on smart phones with increasing frequency. Look at the lame copy under each snap of the athletes...you can read the skimpy copy in five seconds...the pictures are there not as "fine photography:...but as eye-candy to drive hurried,repeated "clicks". And the people who do the page layout for the web? Does one suppose the people who slap together 30- and 40-image web galleries for S-I have especially well-honed visual sophistication...or are they more likely to be HTML and web page composition specialists? Photos must be MADE TO FIT THE SPACE when the page is thrown together!!! S-I Online is NOT a high-end product...

It's a lot like the type of imagery one sees in a 30-second TV commercial, versus say, the imagery an unhurried director will seek to create for inclusion in a lifetime-type work of art, such as a finely-crafted "art film"--expectations,experience, and goals drive decisions people make. Burger King serves "meals", and high-end restaurants also serve "meals". Do aspiring chefs look to Burger King's concept of a "meal" for guiding principles in the culinary arts?

If a person wants to learn from people who have low standards, they can easily look to mass-appeal web sites that focus on sports, gals with big t!+S, and beer advertisements. I mean, Sports-Illustrated on the web...they do some AWESOME NFL CHEERLEADER UPSKIRT galleries too...and those have almost ALL "talls"...huh...sooooo confusing!!! MY head hurts!

What's a boy to believe????