Old Redeye Loc: San Mateo, CA

I love them!

docrob Loc: Durango, Colorado

because I thought by saying what I did in the way I did people would see that in fact the first assumption was "proven" correct and that there would or could be an endless variety of positions taken - each more contentious than the one before......in other words to get my smart ass self out.

docrob Loc: Durango, Colorado

better but if only the shooter had noticed the red fire hydrant just peaking out behind the first tree - he could have either made the red a part of the image or hidden it behind the tree.......either way I'd still prefer a tighter crop on the left side........

Bushpilot Loc: Minnesota

I cut the top of this young lady's head off, it still works for me.

Danilo Loc: Las Vegas

Simple: Just shoot 3 photos of everything with a 120 degree AOV fisheye lens and stitch them together...don't crop anything!

littlebug Loc: woburn ma

nice photo

Bobber Loc: Fredericksburg, Texas

One take on a picture having missing parts.

When you think about it, every photo cuts off something. It is inherent in the frame surrounding the visible interior. Unavoidable.

Even in the 360 panorama like the one we live in, our eyes frame the scene, though not so neatly, as those that generally enclose our pictures. In life's panorama we try to move about to satisfy our sense of proper eye framing succeeding fairly well most of the time and we generally remain unconscious of the effort as such. Then there is the framing, that we impose with our minds, where we can neatly tuck into unconsciousness, that which we would not see, though it be in plain sight.

Like memory, sight, and other mental processes unbound by some kind of framing process, our minds would be overwhelmed by clutter. In a sense it is as important to forget, as it is to remember; and, not see, as it is to look. The trick is to accomplish the job in a selective process, that latches onto what is functionally essential,

In framing a photo we extend that mental function of adjusting view to either put on display our selected objects and eliminating from it that which would either be distracting, or outside our interest, or directly undesirable in its own right. It where the selected object(s) of interest is broken off by framing that we feel an urge to move our heads to bring onto the central stage the complete object. That condition is what sets up a feeling of unpleasant jarring sensations from our viewing the picture - - - because the effort is doomed to frustration.

So, it seems that it is in convincing the viewer, that the scene before him is sufficiently complete without having to reveal the complete parts of those inevitably cut out by the frame that is what is desired. We can analyze what constitutes that satisfaction with what the picture shows by thinking about examples found in every photograph. A composition that is balanced, yet satisfactorily dynamic in its design is one element that produces a feeling of completion. And add that a primary objects of interest are not awkwardly broken up by the frame, and you have an acceptable picture.

We only have to consider photos, which do show only sections or portions of centers of interest, that they can do so offering enough balance and information, as to satisfy the viewer without feeling that parts are missing, rather they are hardly considered at all and are comfortably just out of sight. The viewers mind satisfies tends to satisfy its requirements by supplying the missing areas from a well experienced imagination.

A picture can accomplish this by a sort of compression of the object of interest. It works as long as the visuals enable the viewer to comfortably complete in his minds eye from what is available the missing parts and satisfy him, that the picture includes all of what is important complete in the framed area the point of the picture.

Cutting out or otherwise hiding portions of a scene can be exceedingly effective visually. It is featured in a lot of Asian art. It is much of what is done with clothing in emphasizing sexuality by hiding rather than revealing, often by hiding in such a manner as to lead eye and thoughts to the sexual objective. In the words of that old Texas Ranger, Big Foot Wallace, when he returned to civilization in New Orleans to be astonished in an entertainment, " What she did not show, her clothes pointed to."

Ched49 Loc: Pittsburgh, Pa.

A GOOD photo means differnt things to differnt people. Personally, I'd rather have the whole face in the shot.

marcomarks Loc: Ft. Myers, FL

While there's no set rule about this that I know of, I personally enjoy intimate closeness in my shots to create impact. That sometimes means cropping away space around the subject while still trying to maintain a natural framing from the surroundings. It also sometimes means cropping away a person's body below the waist (or below the belt if they're wearing one), or even cropping away everything but their head and shoulders with hair intact. I don't like removing the hair because that person most times has a hair style and color that represents their personality and lifestyle.

If you want to capture a personality of a person or pet, you can lose some of their body because personality typically revolves around the facial area unless they are decked out in a personality-revealing getup that is important to capture their true self or a role they're playing. If you want to just document a person or animal you need to get more of them or all of them in the shot.

I would think cutting off ears, legs, hair, etc. should be determined by what the function of the shot is going to pertain to. If I was shooting for a cosmetics company, I suppose the face and skin is the only important part and you'd want to have the frame completely filled with face. If I was shooting for a lipstick or eye shadow company, even more of the face could be cut away. If I was shooting for a shampoo and conditioner company, you could shoot practically all hair from behind with just a minor provocative amount of face peeking out.

So I believe close cropping to cut off body parts isn't something you want to do all the time, or even most of the time, but one should determine the function of the shot to determine how much. I think your instructor couldn't know the function of how your shots would be used and was just too chop happy.

Bobber Loc: Fredericksburg, Texas

No rule is possible, every photo frame cuts something off, even if only portions of a objectless monotone background.

If there is a rule, it is that the intent of the photographer determines where cutting falls. The dislike of framing out portions of the central subject or subjects is based upon a narrow expectation, that all of a subject be depicted regardless, confining photographic intent to that straight jacket. It necessarily allows for cutting subsidiary photographic objects, which still add to the scene depicted. The question might be begged, why not back up and include all of that too? And back up farther and include still more? And back and back and back until it is ridiculous, for nothing is close enough to be identifiable.

The legitimate caution that INTENDED subject matter not be inadvertently left out is an obvious piece of good advise.

MtnMan Loc: ID

Yeah, I thought about cloning it out but left it. It would be easy to remove. Good practice for the OP who I think said is learning Elements.

MtnMan Loc: ID

Just a vote...they don't do much for me. Unless the girls are missing an eye the eyes have it IMHO.

Fine to whack off a bit of the head as the outstanding one lower down.

Roger Hicks Loc: Aquitaine

I used to think that, but now I don't. Views change. I now look back on many of my early shots as excessively literal. Then again, cropping just for the sake of cropping often looks awful too. It's all a matter of practice and personal view.

"Conflict generator"? Only if you're looking for conflict...

Cheers,

R.

carlysue Loc: Columbus

including or eliminating pieces and parts of anything can be artistically acceptable but only if appears intentional and not a mistake.

RowdyBlue

I agree. I rather not cut off anything when taking the photo. I rather make sure everything is framed in because I have had people's head cut off when I got my prints back when I did not take the photo with the top of the person's head cut off.