Senior author of Lynda.com, John McWade, demonstrated the ability to transform existing images with the simple use of cropping techniques. Using the seven types of crops: 1) hard crop, 2) soft crop, 3) split crop, 4) stickout crop, 5) the knockout crop, 6) false crop, and 7) shape crop, the user has the ability to adjust the composition and mood freely and easily.
Although familiar with most of the seven crop techniques, I never utilized the false or shape crop, so it was nice to see both used in a strategic manner. False crop uses textual or pictoral cover to crop a picture behind it, where both front and back designs are exposed to make a new design. Shape crop is a method where the user will crop only part of an image to a shape seen in the picture. From there, text/color can fill the back, making the cropped shape/object appear to pop.
Major take-away from the videos were:
1) See with your eyes & mind - look at the scene and recall the experiences that the composition dictates.
2) Look for descriptive slices - seek power lines that could be utilize to make the overall composition stronger,
i.e. rule of thirds, line of sight
3) Crop Radically - keep in mind that agressive lines can lead to interesting and captivating photos.
4) Watch for the story - stay true for the overall feel, and try to capture that with cropping
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