Cropping controversy at the county fair photo contest

So I entered a photo in our local county fair last month, one I took of my daughter on the Ferris wheel at dusk. I cropped it tight to just her silhouette and the wheel, thought it looked artistic. The judge wrote a note saying I cut off too much of the scene and it lost context. But then another photographer came up to me after and said the crop was perfect, that tight framing made the emotion pop. Now I don't know who to listen to. Do you guys crop things super close to focus on one detail, or do you leave the full scene in so people know what they're looking at?

2 comments

2 Comments

eric_johnson15d ago

Judge was wrong. Art isn't about showing everything. Your crop made the photo better. Tight framing forces the eye where you want it. Don't second guess yourself based on one person's rules.

seanperry15d agoOG Member

That note from the judge about "context" is interesting - county fair judges have to follow a rigid score sheet from the state extension office that literally has a checklist for things like "proper framing" and "composition rules." Your photographer friend isn't bound by any of that. So the real question isn't about cropping, it's about whether you want to play by the county fair rulebook or make art that moves people. Probably not the answer you wanted, but sometimes the judge's job is to enforce rules, not to be right about what makes a photo great.