Traditional portrait sizes have different crops and aspect ratios. Here, I would like to explain some of these terms, the differences between sizes, and how these affect the final printed product.
Cropping refers to the outer portion of an image that is removed before printing the final product. The remaining area of the image has a unique aspect ratio, which is the proportion of the shorter side to the longer side. The final image will have a more square or rectangular appearance, depending on the given size. It may look different than what you see in your gallery when you choose a particular size for your final print!
Here are some examples:
2:3 Aspect Images
Images come out of modern digital cameras with an aspect of ratio of 2:3. This looks like an image on a widescreen HD monitor, longer on one side. Print sizes fitting this category include 4×6, 16×24, and 20×30 and do not require any cropping. What you see is what you get.
5:7 Aspect Images
To produce a 5×7 print, a small amount is cropped from the sides or maybe the top or bottom of an image. The final photo has a rectangular feel similar to the original image.
4:5 Aspect Images
For images that are closer to a square, clients can choose 4×5, 8×10, 16×20, and 24×30 sizes. They remove a larger portion of outer image and bring the viewer closer to the subject. This may or may not be desirable, depending on the image.
These are examples of the most popular sizes of photographs and the effect that sizing has on them. Remember, when you order an 8×10 it may look different because of the need to crop it to that new ratio. It comes out of the camera at 2:3 and we’re changing it to 4:5.
A personal favorite crop that you may see in your gallery is the square crop:
If you have another size in mind, just let me know. We can create any size or crop that you would like. And I’m available to help design wall galleries of all of the favorites from your session!
