In Living Color

Wow, did the colors pop this weekend or what???  Dianna and Justin hit it just right, and we had a great time photographing their beautiful mountain wedding at Bluff Mountain Inn.

The leaves have been turning for several weeks, and from what I understand they’re really peaking up in the high mountains.  But for us this was the weekend that was.  Not to say that next week won’t be just as colorful.  These mountains and mother nature seems to have a mind of their own.  But we know this… colors are popping!!!

So what’s a crop?  Well most might first consider wheat or corn or soybeans to be a crop.  But we in photography business are talking about something completely different.  To “crop” a photo is to change the size and configuration of the boundaries of the image.  For instance, an 8×10 photograph would be cropped to 8″ x 10″, even if it were taken at a 8″ x 12″ composition.  When you crop the photograph, you set the guidelines of where the edges of the images will lie when it’s printed.

Most cameras in the world capture images at a 2×3 ratio (known as aspect ratio).  That would translate to a 4×6 print, or an 8×12, 16×24, etc.  So when you order an image where the size doesn’t equal the 2×3 format, you must crop it.

We here at RIK photography don’t necessarily agree that everyone should live in an 8×10, 5×7 or 4×6 world.  Every image might have qualities which are enhanced by a crop that is not necessarily defined by a preconceived standard.

For example, a typical television crop is 4×3.  Standard movie and HDTV ratio is 16 x 9 or 16:9.

OK.  Maybe we’re getting a little technical, but the point is that sometimes images don’t look their best if we’re forced to constrain them into an aspect ratio that does not compliment the photograph.  If you looked at the images in the gallery above you’ll notice that there are not many images that fit within the preconceived ratios.  That’s because we feel that they look better this way.  We’ve cropped the image to make maximum use of the subject of the photograph and the supporting elements, and we’ve cropped out the rest.

If you’re ordering a print from our partner, Pictage.com, you may select the way the image is cropped and change it to your liking.  You can also select the option where the original crop will remain and there will be borders on the image that will make it fit into your frame.

When I grew up working in my Dad’s darkroom there was 8×10 paper and 5×7 paper and 4×6 paper, all designed to fit into a particular book.  Things have changed.  We’re not your Dad’s photographer.