Capture size vs. Frame size
CWSkopec
Registered Users Posts: 1,325 Major grins
Scott Kelby recently touched on this point (here and here) but it's a question that's been on my mind for a little while now.
How do you folks deal with the difference between capture sizes and frame/matte sizes?
When I upgraded to my pro account, I figured I would make it "easier" on potential customers to chose a size they wanted by only offering the sizes not requiring cropping (ie 8x12, 12x18, etc). Pretty much the sizes that followed the ratio output by my (and most other) digital slr. The problem came up when my mom ordered an 8x12 print and later told me she could only find one 8x12 frame (and a rather ugly one at that) when she went to pick one up in town. Thinking, "Well, they live in the sticks and 'town' is pretty much a Walmart & a stop sign, others won't have the same issue." But then I was in a frame store here in San Diego and found only a couple 8x12s on their shelves and nothing in that ratio at larger sizes!!
An easy (for me) solution would be to only sell metal prints or thin wraps, but that would probably alienate potential customers so that's no good. I could enable the 8x10 ratio sizes, but after trying to crop a couple myself as a test, I find that it ruins a number of my more favorite images. I'm no composition expert, but often find that the my favorite & bestest are images that use the full dimensions output by my camera and cropping 2 full inches off only one side takes away quite a lot.
I could just enable both and let people sort it out for themselves, but saying "Let them deal with it" doesn't seem right. A number of the commenters on Scott Kelby's blog mention online solutions, but is it practical to pretty much force people to buy their frames online?
So how do you folks deal with the difference in sizes? Shoot a little loser so the image stands up even after cropping? Force on set of sizes and say, "that's my vision, that's what you'll get?"
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts! :thumb
How do you folks deal with the difference between capture sizes and frame/matte sizes?
When I upgraded to my pro account, I figured I would make it "easier" on potential customers to chose a size they wanted by only offering the sizes not requiring cropping (ie 8x12, 12x18, etc). Pretty much the sizes that followed the ratio output by my (and most other) digital slr. The problem came up when my mom ordered an 8x12 print and later told me she could only find one 8x12 frame (and a rather ugly one at that) when she went to pick one up in town. Thinking, "Well, they live in the sticks and 'town' is pretty much a Walmart & a stop sign, others won't have the same issue." But then I was in a frame store here in San Diego and found only a couple 8x12s on their shelves and nothing in that ratio at larger sizes!!
An easy (for me) solution would be to only sell metal prints or thin wraps, but that would probably alienate potential customers so that's no good. I could enable the 8x10 ratio sizes, but after trying to crop a couple myself as a test, I find that it ruins a number of my more favorite images. I'm no composition expert, but often find that the my favorite & bestest are images that use the full dimensions output by my camera and cropping 2 full inches off only one side takes away quite a lot.
I could just enable both and let people sort it out for themselves, but saying "Let them deal with it" doesn't seem right. A number of the commenters on Scott Kelby's blog mention online solutions, but is it practical to pretty much force people to buy their frames online?
So how do you folks deal with the difference in sizes? Shoot a little loser so the image stands up even after cropping? Force on set of sizes and say, "that's my vision, that's what you'll get?"
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts! :thumb
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<Insert some profound quote here to try and seem like a deep thinker>
Michael Wachel Photography
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I think of crop Each and Every time I pull the trigger. If I am shooting form someone else, I crop for 8x10 If I am Shooting for me, I don't much worry over it, or I plan it out and never plan on 8x10!
Bottom line, if you're trying to please most folks, then leave plenty of crop room. If you're shooting a fine art print, it ought to only come in sizes that compliment it's crop.
Composing with the plan to crop isn't the solution I was hoping for, but in all reality I was hoping someone would have a solution that would allow me to have my cake and eat it too.
I hope the framing industry catches up with the 35mm format soon...
SmugMug QA
My Photos
Or you can go online and buy what you need right off the shelf.
Take a look at framedestination.com.
Sam
Sam, I agree, it's not the end of the world, and what your saying is exactly how I would handle it for my own needs (around the house or if I ever get ambitious enough to do a small show), I'm thinking more along the lines of making it easy for potential customers.
I guess my immediate solution will be to allow the 8x10 and more standard ratios, but find a place on my site to write a little blurb about image sizes and the pro-cons of the different sizes. Including a link to framesdestination.com. Now I just need to figure out where to put that info.
SmugMug QA
My Photos
This is a fine solution........however in my part of the country doing this even at a Michael's or Hobby Lobby a custom mat (plain white ) could cost you as much as $50.......for the mat....just because it is a custom sized mat to fit a standard frame........
This has definitely been one of my peeves with digital cameras and paper sizes for printing......the 35mm was bad enuff to have to learn to shoot for cropping.............
my solution is too just crop everything to a 4x5 apsect and then only offer the standard sizes of prints.......that way.....I do the crop and it is still my total vision and piece of work.....if you allow clients to crop then that can lead to very disgruntled clients that do not understand cropping and the labs I use still offer the professional 4x5 prints alongside the non pro 4x6 and 3 1/2 x 5..................
That would probably be the simplest option for future customers, wouldn't it... probably add a lot to my workload as nearly everything on my site (even those cropped after capture) is in the 2x3 aspect ratio, but it's not really about my workload in the end is it?! It's about making it better for the end user (the ones who will hopefully give me their money), right?
SmugMug QA
My Photos
so did my 35mm cams......I used a very thin graphic arts tape and would remove the focus screen and place a printing crop mat under it
to be able to apply the tape the way I wanted.......shooting was so much easier....took away the headaches of leaving not enuff
or too much space around the subject of portraits and weddings.....I did have one cam that the focus screen would not come
out easily Imajor tear down) do I cut the printing crop mask down to fit on it and took an ULTRA FINE SHARPIE to out line the opening
on the focus screen.....it worked for me........the only times these methods did give a prob was in dark venues using dim lighting,
like during a Mitch Ryder concert...where all the lights had to be certain shade of blue due to Mitch having serious eye problems
and the blue was the only thing his eyes could handle...or so the contract rider said............but this type of lighting mad the
crop lines hard to see.................
Agreed 100%. Shooting for me...I don't worry about it.
<Insert some profound quote here to try and seem like a deep thinker>
Michael Wachel Photography
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