leaving room to reframe your photographs
Back when I switched from 6x6 medium format film to digital, one of the biggest changes was that I had to take an extra step with every one of my photographs.
My images are square, but my digital cameras either didn't support that aspect ratio, or still produced a 3:2 RAW file. So I had to crop them to square in post.
At first, I thought this was a huge waste of my time, and of space. After all, even though I was cropping out a third of the frame, that information was still there, living on my hard drive.
Over time, though, I started to find this extra wiggle room very useful. Many times, I don't frame my subjects very well --shooting outdoors can be challenging at times, you might not have a second chance at getting the shot so you act fast; I also found myself changing the way I looked at an image a few weeks or months later.
Whatever the reason, I saw the upside of having that extra information: I was able to refine the composition of my images, making them better, and to create completely new interpretations of those scenes.
I like it so much that today, I try to create some room on the top and bottom of the frame as well. In order to do this, once I compose an image and after taking that shot, I try to take a step back or zoom out and take a couple extra captures. You just never now.
new images
new videos
Editing is a fundamental step in the photography process. Every photographer sets their own rules here: some will try to be as faithful as possible to reality; others won't hesitate to do whatever it takes to create the images they saw.
Personally, I fall somewhere in between. I'll definitely edit my photographs, sometimes heavily, but always keeping the negative as the foundation of the image (I edit stuff out, but I don't add). I have a whole video about this topic.
Wherever you draw the line is yours to decide. There's no wrong or right here.
I believe the key to stay engaged with photography (and life in general) is to switch things up every once in a while. I’m a big fan of local photography, but adding a little bit of travel here and there can do wonders. And that’s what I’m about to do, as I’m getting ready for a relatively quick 2-week road trip to the Pyrenees mountains. I can’t wait to hike in the mountains, it’s been way too long.
See you there,
Adrian