To Crop or not to Crop

[ChrisH]

I took a wander just before sunset along the Thames Towpath with just my EF 70 - 300 mm attached to my camera and a EF 50 mm prime lens in my pocket. The idea was to try and capture images of river birds in flight with the big lens and prime lens was there just in case something interesting came up that could not be shot with the big lens.

The bridge looked quite spectacular in the evening sunshine so as I could not get the whole bridge and church spire in a single frame, I fired of a series of three exposures with the AE lock on. These have been stitched in Panorama Factory.

I have produced two versions,the first being the full size panorama, the second being a cropped version. I cannot make up my mind which is the better. I would very much appreciate your views.



Large Version



Cropped Version

[FrankMi]

Hi Chris, the cropping of a pano, for me, is all about detail. The wider the pano, the more detail you lose. If the subject doesn't have much detail then the wider pano usually works better (for example, the second image here Project 52 by Frank Miller).

If there is a lot of detail that you don't want to loose, then the cropped version usually works better. Sometimes you need to sacrifice detail to capture the immensity of the scene as I did in this image Project 52 by Frank Miller, but when you do, the results are often disappointing. For example, in the original of this link, I could see individuals walking around in the city - all of that and much more was totally lost in the larger pano.

It is all up to what you want to convey but for my eye, your cropped version is more pleasing as I can get a better look at what is happening on either side of the bridge and I don't think you have lost anything meaningful with your crop.

[Polar01]

Christopher I vote for the large version, I like the tree on the left hand side of the image with dock edge and all the birds, to me it anchors the image on that side. Whereas on the cropped on my eye wanders off the image. If you look at the right bridge tower just up and to the right you have a dust bunny, and it repeats across you image.

Allan

[Donald]

How to change your mind.

On first looking I was going to say the larger. But then I took more time and changed my mind. And then i read the comments from Frank and Allan!

To be honest, I think both stand up very well and at the end of teh day it's going to have to be dwon to personal preference.

But ............. DUST BUNNIES.

There's one just at 1 o'clock from the top of the right hand pillar of the bridge. And another at 3 o'clock from the tall chimney on the right hand side of the building on the right of the image. There's also something white in the sky just right of the centre of the bridge.

[Polar01]

Donald yes Dust Bunnies (I can't spell very well), I call them other things but as this is seen by persons with a much gentler manner than mine, I will use Dust Bunnies. You missed the one between the trees, left of centre, and a small one near the right hand side just above the roof line, near the tree tops. I view on a 32" screen so I can see a lot of things.

Cheers

Allan

[Donald]

Sorry Allan. I missed that you had referred to the little darlings (DBs) in your first post.

[ChrisH]

Thanks all for your comments. More haste less speed me thinks - dust bunnies removed - Donald the white blob was a seagull, which I have also removed