Crop ratios - Thread to provoke discussion

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Name
Mike
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Yes
I have a theory regarding the cropping of images...

It goes as follows.
In general there are only two 'correct' ratios at which to crop images.
- Square
- Rectangular with side lengths per the 'golden ratio'

Certainly IMHO they produce images that just look 'right'.

Discuss??!!
 
In my opinion there are only two reasons to govern crop ratios:

The one that you think looks right,

and

The one placed on you by the constraints of output; ie page space, size of photo frame or mount, display ratio on a webpage, etc etc.
 
Dave Stone said:
Square and rectangular are shapes, not ratios! I usually crop 3 to 2.
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By it's very nature, a square must be a ratio!! :p :D
 
treeman said:
I think the term 'correct' is open to a lot of disscussion.
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Yeah, but you've got weird ideas about crops! ;)
 
treeman said:
I think the term 'correct' is open to a lot of disscussion.
Click to expand...

Yes - That was the point of the thread.
Golden ratio is approx 1:1.618
35mm and DSLRs produce images which are 1:1.5 which is near enough (I think)

It is my observation that when I crop to anything other than 1:1 or 1:1.5 for whatever reason, it just doesn't seem to look 'right' - hence my investigation into the Golden Ratio, Fibonacci sequence etc and debate that there might just be something in it...
 
I'm with Mark on this. It's definitely the one that looks right. Sometimes the image you see in front of you can't be captured by some predefined ratio produced by the camera.

How often do you see an image and think "that would look great in a letterbox format"? Find me camera that shoots that!
 
I often use 3:1 for panoramic views. The other ones I use are 3:2 and 1:1
 
manda said:
I have been trying to find an article on this that I read yesterday, all I could come up with was this one!

Let's see what the others have to contribute! Mandy
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Interesting article - but I have to say I totally disagree with:-

"The 35mm Problem The 35mm frame (or golden rectangle) works well when the camera is in the landscape format, but not so well when you turn it on its side to use the portrait format. The rectangle is too ‘long’ and it can be difficult to fill the frame effectively."

For my money the 35mm shot looks much better...
 
andybeach said:
Not a lot so far!!
Click to expand...

...and yet seemingly you are the only one who hasn't had added a positive contribution to the thread.
 
The Golden Ratio, examined in depth by Fibonacci is one that happens everywhere you look in nature. Patterns in plants and animals and even financial markets have been seen to behave predictably by comparing to the Fibonacci number sequence. I think, (and its only my take on a complex issue) that because these patterns exist in nature, they are what we expect and are used to seeing, so we subconciously think that its the "correct" way to view things.
That said, I do think that some images demand their own cropping ratio to get them "right", so in the end, my answer is, no answer :)
 
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