There is a time and place for subtlety, and sometimes being understated can yield giant results (more on that another day.) But sometimes you just have to go big.
A close crop (either shooting close to exactly what you want to capture or cropping the image later to very tight proportions) can highlight exactly what you want the viewer to focus on. Tight cropping screams “look at me!” and that can make for a very impactful image – you just have to make sure that your subject merits the attention.
Pet portraits often benefit from a close crop. In this picture, I got down on the floor and brought my lens very close to his face. I wanted the viewer to be able to feel the warmth of his fur and the texture of his nose. I also loved the soft, pink pads on the bottom of his paws, which over time, every dog lover knows will grow a bit rougher and weathered. By using a close crop, I give the viewer no room to make their own observations – I demand that they appreciate him for exactly the way I see him. Kind of bossy, but he warrants that kind of admiration, so I demanded it of my viewers.
Using the same close crop, here I want to draw attention to the texture of the dog’s fur and also that little pink tongue. I love the wild eyes slightly hidden behind the hair on his nose – there was an excitable frenzy about this guy that I was able to showcase by using a plain background and a tight crop so that nothing gets in the way of the viewer just wanting to give that nose a little rub.
This is a portrait that I took from a distance (didn’t want to intimidate my subject) but I knew I would crop in during post-production. There is an immediacy to viewing her at such a close range (because of the crop) that I wouldn’t get if I included more of her body or head in the picture (or if I let the background surround her whole head.) I love the wild hair, the erupting teeth, and the way that the light sunburn on her skin (she came for her portrait still somewhat feral from her activities at day camp right before she came to the studio.)
I took this picture with a much wider vantage point because I did not want to get any closer to my subject than I already was (this little client had a lot of feelings that she freely expressed during her shoot. Luckily for me, most involved joy and dancing, and not the anger that I captured in this particular shot. Everyone eventually reaches a point where they are just done – she happened to reach that point a few seconds before I realized it!) It is the corners of her mouth that I love about this picture – I positioned them in the direct center of the crop, because they make all the difference. One second before I pushed the shutter the corners of her mouth were turned up in a smile, but right before I shot the gloom descended. Gotta love little girls!! The other pictures in the gallery for this client were light and happy, but I had to include this because one day the parents will look back at it fondly and remember when her gloom could easily be chased away with some juice and a cookie.
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