I guess that I will state the obvious . . .
I "shoot loosely" (to crop later) when I'm in a hurry during a tour, or when I'm not sure just what my focal point will be or if there is more than "one picture" in a particular scene.
Sometimes, depending on the crop I may isolate several pics from one scene.
I also "shoot loosely" to provide "template material" for any of the different print sizes that may be required, such as . . . .
4x6
6x9
6.67x10
8x12
10x15
12x18
13.33x20
18x27
20x30
30x45
40x60 and so on. I realize that it may be deemed as a crutch, however, I find little difference in shooting loosely than a sports photog "spraying shots" to capture peak action.
I'm also guilty of that technique too.
In other words, it is just another tool in my kit bag.
Best Wishes,
JimmyT Sends

Edit: I always have Topaz Photo AI if I crop too deeply.

Well, I "purchased" a refurbished lens from Amazon to expand beyond my squirrel stuff.

Canon 18 -135 f/3.5- 5.6, Image Stabilization, USM. I realize it's not the best; however, this is within the budget at this stage. I have 30 days to try it, as it's a free return.

So I took it out for a spin to the nearby place where I did the signs. It's a nice place with beautiful trees, which I like photographing. While it was great to have a lens I could use to get these shots, I missed my other lens when I saw a bird and, yes, a squirrel! I confess when I played enough, I did switch back to my other, and yes, I got several pleasing squirrel shots.

I included the Robin, which was taken with the new lens because I liked that he had something in his mouth. Nice surprise when I discovered it when I edited it.

So here's what I did. I don't have much experience with this type of photography, so I gave it a try! Please feel free to comment.

I decided to post these images because of recent discussions about whether or not people should use 2x extenders. I know these are birds, but putting them in the bird subsection will prevent the converter discussion.
The photos are taken with a Nikon 400f2.8s lens. The built in 1.4 converter is being used and coupled with a 2x converter. The wren also has a 5mm extension tube for closer focus.
So, the question is are these photos sharp enough, or should people not use the converters and attempt to gain the extra reach by cropping. I believe that any loss of image quality from using the converter is more than offset by the additional reach and the ability to come closer to filling the frame, but I thought it would be interesting to see where any discussion would go. Those of you who believe that no one should use teleconverters, go ahead and have your say. The photos will be posted in the first reply.