It’s OK to crop, especially when you crop for impact. An example I use is a shot I took during a high school cross country meet, where the running path was filled with many athletes from different schools. I was only focused on my son’s team. I took a great shot of his teammate mixed with other athletes. Looking at the original image, you could tell they weren’t in first place. A simple crop changed the story. The new image now shows them in first place leading the pack!

Remember, these weren’t shot for editorial use. If I shot for a magazine I would have to make sure the images told the correct story. As photographers, we have to know when it’s OK to crop. If you are shooting for an editorial piece, you have to make sure your image tells the real story. If you are shooting for a team or client, crop away.

Want to learn more? Check out this article, “It’s OK to Crop | How I Got the Shot”