Photography in and around Chelmsford, Massachusetts
About Portrait Cropping
Getting the right background is important.
In the biz, we call them "environmental portraits".
The young lady below looks great in this woodland scene.
The captain of the football team probably wouldn't be very happy sitting in the same place.
The background should match up with, and support the person-- or at least not clash.
Remember-- a portrait is mostly about the person, and barely about the background.
Here's a sample 4x6 photo-- straight out of the camera.
Now look at these various croppings.
Once you start thinking "portrait", the background can be less of a factor.
All of the images have been scaled so that their relative sizes can be compared.
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| Don't forget about your
yearbook. It'll probably be black and white, and not much more than 2" tall when printed. |
Some relatives will get a 3.5x5 |
I bet your aunts and uncles get a 5x7 |
Your
grandparents want an 8x10. |
What about Mom and Dad? Maybe they'll get an 11x14 |
What if you REALLY like the background? Not a problem.
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| Send something like this to the
yearbook. |
Hang something like this on
your wall. |
| All the various sizes are compared and contrasted here. |
Every photograph seen on this site is available in printed format.
The sizes you want are available at pricing you can afford.
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Send e-mail to Stephen Mayotte: steve@samayotte.com