could you pls suggest me a crop

[mmaria]

Here is a photo I can't crop properly can't do any crop I'm satisfied with...I know how it sounds but really, would you help me?

 

[SCraig]

It's already cropped way too tight in my opinion. The child's elbow is cut off, both heads are cut off. Not a lot you can do to it at this point as far as I can tell.

 

[sm4him]

It's already cropped way too tight in my opinion. The child's elbow is cut off, both heads are cut off. Not a lot you can do to it at this point as far as I can tell.

^+1
The problem is that it's already got too much cropped out, so there are few, if any, options left.
If this was a photo of someone else's kid, I'd just bin it and not even show it to them.

If it were a photo of MY kid, and I was just determined to keep it because it shows my sweet little baby's face...I might be tempted to just crop the daylights out of it and focus in on the face and little hand--something like this:

 

[Annaa]

If it's a snapshot that you want to keep as a memory - don't crop it IMO. It's a sweet picture, it probably shows exactly what you saw in that very moment, and there's nothing wrong with keeping it just the way it is. If there's no crop that seems/looks/feels natural - why force it? I don't even think it looks that bad, I'd much rather see a composition that's natural but slightly off than a super forced and cropped version. There's nothing wrong with being a little close to capture certain emotions and expressions.

If I were you I'd just give it a bit more life by playing around with curves/levels and then be happy with the fact that you captured a very sweet and real moment.

 

[mmaria]

Thanks guys!
His expression is what makes this photo, that's why I'm trying to save it. I cropped too tight in the camera because the background was too busy and I didn't want to miss the moment.
Based on your suggestion sm4him I thought of maybe something like this

 

[mmaria]

If it's a snapshot that you want to keep as a memory - don't crop it IMO. It's a sweet picture, it probably shows exactly what you saw in that very moment, and there's nothing wrong with keeping it just the way it is. If there's no crop that seems/looks/feels natural - why force it? I don't even think it looks that bad, I'd much rather see a composition that's natural but slightly off than a super forced and cropped version. There's nothing wrong with being a little close to capture certain emotions and expressions.

If I were you I'd just give it a bit more life by playing around with curves/levels and then be happy with the fact that you captured a very sweet and real moment.

Annaa, you're telling me exactly what I want to hear

 

[SCraig]

... I cropped too tight in the camera because the background was too busy and I didn't want to miss the moment.

I strongly recommend that you leave yourself some room when shooting. You can always crop a shot later in post processing but you can never put the original background back if you need it. You can also do a lot to help a busy background in post processing, when when you crop an image in-camera it is just plain gone and there is no getting it back.

Additionally, if you decide to print it you'll find that different size prints need different crops. Your camera has a 3:2 aspect ratio whereas an 8x10 print, for example, has a 5:4 aspect ratio and a 5x7 has a 7:5 aspect ratio. When you crop for the print you'll wind up cutting some off the ends or top/bottom to make them fit the print format. If you have already cropped it tightly then you will lose part of the image when printing. It is a LOT easier to manipulate if you have left yourself some room when you take the original shot.

 

[mmaria]

... I cropped too tight in the camera because the background was too busy and I didn't want to miss the moment.

I strongly recommend that you leave yourself some room when shooting. You can always crop a shot later in post processing but you can never put the original background back if you need it. You can also do a lot to help a busy background in post processing, when when you crop an image in-camera it is just plain gone and there is no getting it back.

Additionally, if you decide to print it you'll find that different size prints need different crops. Your camera has a 3:2 aspect ratio whereas an 8x10 print, for example, has a 5:4 aspect ratio and a 5x7 has a 7:5 aspect ratio. When you crop for the print you'll wind up cutting some off the ends or top/bottom to make them fit the print format. If you have already cropped it tightly then you will lose part of the image when printing. It is a LOT easier to manipulate if you have left yourself some room when you take the original shot.

SCraig, thank you for taking the time to explain this, but I already know that the question was for this particular photo in terms can it be salvageable because the expression is priceless and composition is bad.

 

[JTPhotography]

Leave it as is. I think your problem here is that you are questioning your original judgement, which was correct in my opinion, to shoot in close to eliminate distractions and focus on the important elements. There is nothing at all wrong with cropping off body parts, especially the top of a person's head. You will see this technique frequently in portraiture. It is used to isolate the subject from the background. It works here, my eye is instantly drawn in to the child's face. In the current crop, it should format well as an 8x10 print.

 

[DanOstergren30 5]

Personally I like it this way. I would take into account all of the suggestions/ advice given so far though. I agree with Annaa that you don't need to force it and that it captures a beautiful moment well and conveys the feelings in a good way. I also agree with the suggestion that cropping looser in order to fit print ratios is a smart habit to start, but don't just call a photo bad simply because the crop is tight or certain body parts are cropped.
I like it the way it is and agree with Annaa that you could give some life to it by adjusting the curves and possibly the levels in photoshop. I know all of this has been said, I'm just re-affirming some points that I thought were good.

 

[C4n0n.Fan]

Thought I'd have a play around too I was thinking that you might want to see a bit more of Dad in there and use his dark hair as a bit of a frame. Also showing bubs ear to balance it out.




Others might think otherwise just my 2 cents.

 

[sm4him]

When I originally posted, I didn't know for sure if this was YOUR child or a paid/"pro" shoot.
For me, the rules are a bit different for photos of your own kid. I stand by my original statement that I would not give this to someone else if it were a paid shoot--as I would not want it to represent my "best" work--but since it's your own kid:
Slap on the Mommy Goggles and just love it! Every picture does not need to be a masterpiece for us to love and enjoy them. Some of the pictures I have of my kids are horrible in terms of composition, exposure, or other technical merits, but I adore them anyway because they are my kids.

This is a beautiful expression on this little one's face and that sweet, tiny little hand is just adorable. So quit worrying about how to "save" it--just enjoy it.

EDIT: Oh,and...take the lesson to heart and shoot wider. Others have mentioned there's nothing wrong with tight crops and cropping certain body parts, and that's true. But, as also mentioned, it's WAY easier to shoot a little wider and then crop than to start with a tight crop and wish you could add more in.

 

[mmaria]

Thank you guys a lot, I was and you cheered me up:hug:::hug::

Leave it as is. I think your problem here is that you are questioning your original judgement, which was correct in my opinion, to shoot in close to eliminate distractions and focus on the important elements. There is nothing at all wrong with cropping off body parts, especially the top of a person's head. You will see this technique frequently in portraiture. It is used to isolate the subject from the background. It works here, my eye is instantly drawn in to the child's face. In the current crop, it should format well as an 8x10 print.

Thanks a lot for your post! I know about chopping the heads off. Someone will find it useful when read.

Thought I'd have a play around too I was thinking that you might want to see a bit more of Dad in there and use his dark hair as a bit of a frame. Also showing bubs ear to balance it out.

I like your crop thanks

Personally I like it this way. I would take into account all of the suggestions/ advice given so far though. I agree with Annaa that you don't need to force it and that it captures a beautiful moment well and conveys the feelings in a good way. I also agree with the suggestion that cropping looser in order to fit print ratios is a smart habit to start, but don't just call a photo bad simply because the crop is tight or certain body parts are cropped.
I like it the way it is and agree with Annaa that you could give some life to it by adjusting the curves and possibly the levels in photoshop. I know all of this has been said, I'm just re-affirming some points that I thought were good.

thanks

...EDIT: Oh,and...take the lesson to heart and shoot wider. Others have mentioned there's nothing wrong with tight crops and cropping certain body parts, and that's true. But, as also mentioned, it's WAY easier to shoot a little wider and then crop than to start with a tight crop and wish you could add more in.

I shot this the way I did because above stated reasons and also for possible tighter crop in the pp.
I couldn't allow myself to shoot wider (I could shot this scene a bit wider I agree, but the damage is done) because of the image quality my camera produce, can't crop much without loosing IQ. I was focused on the expression and the light on his face, and if I did a wider shot from the place where I was standing, I would have the same problem with composition, and if I crop tighter I would loose IQ