How to Crop Portrait Photos (For MORE Impact!)

How to Crop Portrait Photos for MORE Impact!

Get it right in camera, so you don't need to crop your images in post processing!  We’ve all heard this before — from art school professors and workshop hosts to conference speakers and that one person in the photography Facebook group who comments on every post.

Don’t get me wrong; it’s good advice.  Great advice!  I’m a film photographer.  I know all about the idea of slowing down and trying to get it right the first time so you don’t waste a precious (and expensive) film frame.  I’ve taught this concept myself and it will come up soon in my posts about composition.

But here’s the thing: What if you don’t get a great image in camera?

Most of the time, people do one of two things: Scrap the shot, or keep it exactly as is.  But there is another option: Crop it!

Cropping is a simple tool that everyone knows about but don’t use often enough.  Just the other day, I heard someone say their professor drilled into their heads that “cropping is for farmers.”  It’s an amusing quote, and again, it’s good to be conscious of your crop when composing your shot.  But no one is perfect.

In the flurry of changing your settings and trying to capture the moment, we’ve all pulled the trigger too quickly.  It’s okay!  Sometimes even a blessing in disguise.

By considering a crop before you scrap your photo, you can create an image that you might not have taken otherwise.  Cropping can create a more dynamic composition, focus your viewer’s attention to your subject, and remove distractions.  And Lightroom makes it super easy to crop!

1. Straighten the Image First

One of the first things I do when I edit an image is straighten it if needed.  Press the R key while in the Lightroom Develop module to bring up your crop tools.

Changing the “angle” slider will straighten your image.  This is especially necessary when there are lines in your image.  Nothing is more distracting than crooked lines.

2. Use the Lightroom Preview Box

After I straighten, I like to play with the crop box, dragging the corners in and out and looking in the preview box to see what changes.  Try creating a virtual copy and make a tight crop on one and a wide crop on the other and toggle back and forth between the two.

Which one seems right?  Which one makes you feel something?  Experimenting like this showed me an image I would’ve never thought to make initially, like this one below.

3. Try a Different Photo Orientation

Another trick is pressing the X key.  This switches the crop box from a vertical orientation to a horizontal one, or vice versa.  This provides a whole new perspective on the image and can be especially helpful for those who tend to shoot in only one orientation.

4. Use Cropping to Create a More Dynamic Composition

Cropping this image in tight makes it much more eye catching, and just look at her beautiful eyes!

5. Crop to Focus Attention on Your Subject

In this before shot, her face seems to be the subject, but when I was shooting this image, I was focused on the light pattern on her legs.  Zooming in draws the viewer’s eye toward my intended subject matter.

6. Crop to Remove Distractions

Cropping doesn’t have to be drastic.  Look for distractions along the edges of your frame.  Cropping them out is a subtle way to make your image the best it can be.

Next time you have an image you’re unsure about, I hope you'll experiment with the cropping.  Lightroom has a simple tool that is super easy to use and can make a big impact on your photos.

Give it a try!

Do you have any questions or comments about Cropping Portrait Photos?  Leave us a comment below - we would LOVE to hear from you!  And PLEASE SSHARE our tutorial using the social sharing buttons (we really appreciate it)!