This Editing Technique Could Revolutionise The Way You Take Your Photographs! 

My first experience was in photo journalism. We would go out and shoot an event, develop the film, and print a contact sheet. The sheet would go to the editor and would come back with a few photos marked up with crops, and sizes indicated. Back to the light room to print the cropped images at the size indicated. So I have always felt free to crop away. I have also had times where 2 crops from the same image worked. So I tend to shoot a bit wider, as you can never uncrop! Great video Kim!

When I'm stood at a location with the camera, sometimes I've struggled with knowing what picture to take, do I zoom in? wide shot? etc. I said this to a friend one day when we were out and he said when he looks through the view finder, he asks himself one question: "If I pressed the shutter button now, would I hang this picture on my wall?" If the answer is no, don't press it and reevaulate the scene. It has really helped me determine whether the shot is worth taking. After watching your video, it made me think that I could rescue some previous pictures I have taken that were not "wall worthy" and crop them into something that is. Thanks for uploading! :-)

Kim, excellent advice and very nice video. I liked your distinction between the photographer we were in the field vs. the photographer we are when we edit. This is why I never try to edit on the same day I shoot. When I give myself a day or so after shooting the photos, I find I look at them more critically and can make better decisions about how to make them the best they can be. Cropping gives us so many more possible photos and can, almost inevitably, make a photo better. Thanks for your thoughtful reflections on our obsession.

Kim, don’t worry too much about the small files, there are now pretty good enlargement programs and plug-ins.

Great Vlog, thanks Kim for sharing your editing workflow, I think you are right in your argument, I remember a photographer saying, "our art is defined by not what we include in our image but by what we exclude" the best way to exclude is in camera and later by cropping, thanks for sharing

Thanks Kim, food for thought. Stay safe & well.

Well said, Kim. I totally agree: cropping is a good lesson in schooling your perception and to use this new perspektives in the field. For example you can discover interesting „small things“ in the frame, as you said, too. On the other hand you will probably see things in nature, you never noticed before. Like watersurfaces (your video on photographing water was very inspiring to me, by the way…) and once you have seen these patterns and structures you will not be able to overlook them anymore. That‘ s the way our perception works. Thank you very much for these hints!

Is it just me, I love her accent and could listen to her explain anything!

Hi Kim, and welcome to cropping which most photographers do all the time irrespective of what genre you pursue, but for landscape photography is the norm. The purists will say its all got to be done in camera but as someone who has been photographing and printing for 50+ years, cropping is the norm. The crop tool is there to be used whether to tidy up an image or to re-visualise what you initially intended. Resolution isn't a problem these days and i have 3, 90 x 60 cm prints up on the walls of my home that are stunning. I just wish i had more. My work horse is a Canon 5D Mk 3 with a selection of L lenses. keep up the good work and yes I enjoy the vlogs - thanks

Kim, You made some excellent points in this video. Stay Safe

Great video Kim. You are so right in everything you said. Reviewing my past images in the past I have cropped them to find new images. Less is often more. I don’t live in the most scenic parts of Britain and have shot much of my locality so much. I now look for the smaller things in the landscape and try to make at least two compositions from each image. Must head off now to rework an old 8mage of Chesil Beach. Thanks

Wonderful video, so helpful and inspiring to an amateur like myself. Thank You Kim

I use a low pixel camera and print a lot of my pictures so I always fill the frame with what I want to see and never crop, but your tips will always come in handy, thank you.

You highlight a related point, to remember - when on a location, the best composition to capture the grandeur or specialness of a scene, that composition may not come to us. Sometimes, to not miss an opportunity, I will take say six shots, in a 2x3 pattern, to give a 50-60 megapixel composite, readily handed in Lightroom. Then, as you showed, one can crop in a variety of ways to find the best capture of the scene, and with the large size composite still have an acceptable resolution. Now this approach, as I caution myself, still requires considerable in field thinking, to get the right exposures, to stand in the right spot, to not have objects blocking each other, to wait for the right light, to focus properly, and so on.

"It´s hipp to be square" 😊. Actually the first thing I do before anything else is checking out if my photograph will get better if I crop it in some way.

A well done vid. You are serious about this. Nice little mitts. It's cold.

Great thoughts I rarely crop because using a telephoto lens does the job. There’s no right or wrong of expressing one self. Be well great work. Aloha JC 🌺

I started out my photographic journey on film cameras so It was important to get composition right in camera. It was a far more expensive way to learn how to crop your image back then and I went through many rolls of film learing what worked and what did not. Today with digital cameras I still try to frame it how I want while taking the image however I do occasionally create a different crop when editing just to see what difference it might make. So well done you for going down the new road of discovery with your photography , it is always good to try new things that may improve your images. Thank you for sharing Kim and stay safe hopefully we will all be able to get out and explore again sometime this year : ) Teddy

What a terrific vid. Great idea combined with some sage advice and encouragement. Occured to me that combining this with location scouting could be effective for those of us having limited time to get out and about. Love your work.

I totally agree Kim, there's a lot to be said for cropping, I just did a video about the same subject and I too have been cropping a lot but like you I have been searching for compositions that will suit the crop. Many years ago I used to crop to try and make a bad image better, which of course is not how it should be done. Thanks for sharing.

A very good point Kim. I crop my images when I need to to suit myself just as you do to get the best image to please the eye.

Your points are well taken. Taking your points a step further is to previsualize at capture what you can or may do in editing. Great video!

I appreciate the encouragement as much as the technical suggestions! For a lot of us, the saying "you are your own worst critic" really rings true.

Good to see you doing well on youtube. I came across your videos after a while. I remember your last day at work and I am glad you are still enjoying this process.

Omg I remember this day. We left the house to do some woodland photography lol. However we both had the same mind set and jumped back into our cars and headed to the coast. This was a beautiful morning and you got some lovely images Kim. Hopefully we'll catch up soon. Take care x

You've made a really interesting point, thank you for that.

Thank you, I hadn't looked at cropping in this manner. I had usually cropped an image that I didn't feel I wanted to edit too much, to get rid of an item that I didn't want in the scene. I will definitely think about this as another tool to use. I appreciate you and your other followers sharing these tips and ideas.

Thanks for sharing... Great advice/comments ....I only ever crop & adjust pic making them lighter or darker... As a hobbyist I don't believe in too much post processing as I would sooner be out taking shots... I do rely a lot on 'in camera' adjustments..cheers..

I’ll take a photograph vertically and horizontal, typically with 2.8 zoom lens, which allows me to “crop” images in-camera and I’ll also take those images at knee height +/- and head height +/- and then if need be I can still crop by using a photo app as a last resort.

I’ve often cropped my photos in post but haven’t before considered it as a “learning tool” for the next time I’m out. Great point as well about improving one’s own work rather than being jealous of others. Inspiring stuff - thank you.

Great Video Kim, I crop nearly all my images, the main aim of photography is to produce an image that you like, if anybody else likes it then happy days, they are engaged in the story you are telling, I often shoot stitched panoramas, and crop to suit. Keep up the good work

Good point🙏

Interesting video. You have got me thinking about my cropping technique which is a generation out of date. I still use L-shaped pieces of white card to visualise where the crop should be. But I do prefer to work on a desktop computer with two large screens and strong lighting. I am not really a photographer, but a hill walker and an artist and I use my photographs to create coloured illustrations of my favourite scenes. Mostly in Scotland and I just can't wait for the end of lockdown!

Is cropping OK? YES! I've been doing photography since 1958 and have always cropped and so did everyone else I knew. The big difference between then and now is you really did everything you could to avoid cropping because, myself and all others who shot 35mm, you didn't have much room to crop. But these days you have much more room to crop.

I crop most of my images to some degree or other. Always have done since the days of film and my darkroom, or even by putting strips of black electrical tape on my colour slides. As for printing, with modern sensors you can still get a good quality A3 print from a 12MP image which is almost a 1/2 crop from most modern cameras. Use a Sony A7R4 and you can go insane with cropping and still print!

Kim, you have a different and refreshing viewpoint on photography. I enjoy your videos. Thanks.

Just recently was looking at the cameras aspect ratio, as there is a few to use. Your video has spark a number of ideas. Thanks. As usual, thanks for sharing Kim.

I don't know why some RU-vid vloggers (one in particular) get so paranoid about cropping. I do mostly wildlife and sports photography, and crop virtually all of my pictures. Not to do so would mean cutting off heads, hands and feet trying to "get it right in the camera" I don't usually get time to "compose" a picture, as birds and people don't stay still on command. A little different for Landscapes perhaps. As long as you try to maintain the aspect ratio of the photo, although that is not always possible. With a modern camera you have so many pixels to play with, you are not going to lose any quality, and grain can be eliminated. .......... Alan

Well said.....myself, I have recently felt that less is definitely more. Capturing an intimate piece of a complex scene is more satisfying and emotionally engaging.

Excellent Kim! Loved the crops and viewing tips👍🏻. A motivational speaker you are!!

After composing I often zoom out a little bit, so I have more room to work with if I decide to try a different crop. Modern cameras have so many megapixels that there is little sense in worrying about losing one or two.

Really great content in this video. Connecting back to what we saw and how to see it more “simply” to improve upon it is a powerful exercise. It is so easy to get discouraged comparing to someone else with years of experience. Thanks for sharing this!

Miss Kim all I know photography is about lighting because camera captures light. And I am very sure you have Mastered the Art of Lighting. I really love your indoor videos, you really have mastered the art of lighting. And you are right I have been editing my pictures and it really makes big difference.

Very interesting Kim, you right when you don't have to print your images it's sometimes better to crop them to create a different picture. This morning i went to the coast photographing seabirds but i couldn't reach them enough with my lens so at home i check if the bird is sharp enough and crop them to a different size

Really good video today. However, I do still think others do better. But gives me inspiration to practice more!

Morning Kim, fascinating video to watch & listen to about cropping. The whole process of being creative is finding joy in different ways of doing things . Thanks for sharing 😋 x

An interesting option that most landscape shooters don't employ is shooting with a zoom lens with lots of range. Take your wide shots but bringing a lens with lots of zoom capability will allow you to see the landscape in a new way. It's like cropping in real time.

Great advice Kim! Simplicity can make grandeur of a photo... Keep up the great work!

Great video. My experience is similar to yours. When I first got into photography, I thought a wide lens was the only legitimate way to photograph a landscape. But I kept cropping photos and preferring the cropped results over the original. Just as an experiment, I spent a few days carrying only at 70-200 mm lens; I was hooked. My photos got much better. More compositions became available. And the few times I actually needed a wider lens, I just took several photos and stitched them together in Photoshop or Lightroom. I haven't carried any lens other than my 70-200 mm lens in a number of years.

Kim, thanks for the great video on the value of cropping. One thing that has challenged me to take notice of my crop and aspect ratio is where the picture will be viewed. There are some places, like Instagram, that are suited more for square or vertical format. If I want to post a very wide or 4x3 shot I have to consider how to crop while keeping the life of the shot intact. I can't always do it. And some pictures do well at standard aspect. Some shots, I've noticed, only seem to be appreciated in a large screen or printed format. It's actually easier with panoramas since you can make a multi-shot post and see more detail. Thanks for your insights and the beautiful coastline you've shared in this video!

Ok so i really got a lot from this video. I live in the south western U.S. and have taken up photography as a retirement hobby and share my stuff on youtube. Making videos and taking photographs of our new surrounding's is turning out to be great fun. thanks for sharing your views and you have a new subscriber.

Great advice! Great way to learn more about photography, more about what you see is not always what is best!

Have you Tried Topaz Gigapixel-- When you crop small you can increase the mp to print the cropped the pics to a bigger more normal size-- Doesnt work on all shots but it does work.

Very good video.

Great video Kim, and love the Lighthouse Lamp! Of course you would have one! ☺️

Thanks for this, I think cropping is a key part of achieving the result you want in photography. The cropped images you showed were much more powerful than the original, and as you say it will inform the pictures you take in the future.

Love the square crop with no single. I review the image crop ( format ratio option ) in camera before shooting. Nature does always fit in a 35mm 3x2 ratio, why should it. Our binocular vision general sees nature in a pano format similar to 16.9 but nature is not formatted so any format goes really, whatever the scene dictates. Great advice re cropping - I’m off to my computer MJ

Thanks for sharing,i have the same problem and will try this.i have noticed that Thomas heaton often use a square crop.love your videos

thank you Kim, this was helpful!

Interesting perspective. I can definitely see your point. Thanks for sharing

As always, great inspiring tips and perspectives, Kim!

Enjoyed the video and picked up some good aspects in cropping. Thank you

A good point, very well made - with beautiful images. Excellent.

Kim I sit in a office most of the time by myself at work because of lock down I bought my first DSLR in 2005 and my first computer. I brought my old windows XP computer to work and use it to edit my old photos in GIMP as the computer will not work on newer photo editing programs . I will never attach the computer to the internet again. I had never edited my old pictures before and have made them much better

Great video and information thanks as always for sharing take care and stay safe 👍

Great video I shoot film as well as digital- I bought a 6x6 camera and it changes how I see the scene.

I agree Kim, cropping is part of post processing in many images. It can change what looks like a snapshot into a more artful photograph. If I'm going to crop an image it will be the last step in processing. I will change it under a new name to specify the dimensions that way I can always go back to the original format and change it again if I see fit. Yes, cropping is a powerful tool.

great interesting videoed great tips as well , thanks a lot going to give it a try , ,take care and stay safe

Hi Kim I hope you are well. Could I ask what would be a good entry level camera for photos of wildlife and countryside and general photography. Any device would help. Thankyou.

Any advice that should read. Thankyou

Verey helpfull thanks 👍🏻

What an informative video Kim! Thanks so much 🙏💙

Insightful thoughts and reflections!! Thanks, Kim.

Ive ordered a Z711 and I just wondered if you have used the focus peaking feature in your Z6 yet, and what do you think of it?

Minimalism rocks!

Kim, well said, Anyway, I like your lighthouse light on the cabinet .....

Love your videos. The golden rectangle is a great idea, ever since the time of the Greeks, but it can be restrictive. What is a shingle?

Great advice Kim. Thank you.

A great video Kim, thank you.

So, Kim, did you just make the case for shooting 6x6?

Great chat Kim Grant interesting view, and a good morning to you from Connecticut still in lockdown ...

I call my cropping "crop for impact" to remove unnecessary items from image, to draw viewer into the image.

Very good, thanks a lot! 🥰

How do you like 24-200 so far? I just ordered Z5 and 24-200.

Good stuff, Kim.

On my photos i call it creative crop.

Great video Kim and a lot of sound advice which gives food for thought on next outing.

These are some darn wholesome videos. :D

One photographer said "if your photos are not interesting enough, you probably were not close enough". As a woman, you may "see" the world with wide angle focus and probably that determines your base perspective. Men "suffer" more from tunnel vision (most women know this very well). In a way, in photography, men need to learn to see the bigger picture and maybe women need to learn to focus to get less details. If that applies to you, reader in general, you may set on a path to consciously frame and take 10,000 photos. As another famous photographer said "your first 10,000 photos are bad." Fortunately, with digital, you only waste clicks and pixels, not negatives, processing, printing, etc. And it's only 10,000 times. For complex tasks we need 10,000 hours and when you set your mind to it, you can do that in under 3 years (read up on what Charlie Parker did, after he was sent away by the music scene for not being good enough, how fast he came back and how good). Only 10,000 times. Carefully watch your subject, the best viewpoint and perspective. Note how lowering the viewpoint reduces foreground height and v.v.. Imagine in your mind what a photo will look like. Whatever you shoot in the foreground, you are responsible for viewpoint and in that responsible for background. And middle ground. Switch on the camera, look at the display. (That's 1. And now the other 9,999 - you will not be predictable before 9,950 research predicts.) It's not about "talent" that you are born with in the obvious way. It is only about a decision, discipline and persistence in an almost OC way. And, it means you have to fail a lot and accept that. Probably not ask for feedback on your work before you got to 10,000, if you cannot handle critique. Or, as urban dictionatry says, JFDI. Just Fotographically Do It.

Absolutely sound advice, I post most on Instagram @lonewolfnortheast I don't use light room or photo shop , I know shocking lol , I instead use basic crop and the occasional contrast change .

Very helpful Kim thank you 👍

I’ve only just found your channel but love all your videos and find them very inspiring and relaxing to watch! I find editing is my least favourite part of photography so only make minor tweaks to the raw file then crop the image. I love the blurred action in the water that you’re getting! Would you do a video about the filters that you are using! 🙂

Kim, do you use editing software, if so what software?

Hello from a year and a half in the future.

👋🙏🙏🙏🙏👋

Hello🙏

The 'music' is irritating and useless; resist the trend.

I think people who think the world fits into 6x4 are just kidding themselves.

Wearing gloves to save on heating costs? Have you noticed they are pointless? If you worry I am joking about being Scottish, how dare you, I am Dutch and Belgians tell these kind of things about us all the time.

Look for Nessie but please don't be messie ....