Aspect ratios are something I'd never heard of before getting into photography. An aspect ratio is the proportion of one side of the frame to the other side. To give you an example, photos that are posted on Instagram because they are cropped as a square have a 1:1 aspect ratio which by the way works on some photos and doesn't work great on others.

All of the images that come out of your typical camera have a 3:2 aspect ratio which is the same as a 4x6 (6x4). That's why 4x6 photos are so common. If you want to frame your photo in an 8x10 or 11x14 frame, you're going to crop out part of your photo because the aspect ratios for these sizes are not 3:2. This is one reason why I prefer to provide my dog photography clients with finished art instead of digital images. Most people don't know about aspect ratios and it can really affect your image. It is also part of the creative process and as a creative, I like to have this type of control over my art. It's a photographer's thing. :)

Here is an example of a photo in a 2:1 crop and a 3:2 crop. The example of the 2:1 can be used if you want a more panoramic styled look. I like it for beach shots and you'll see a lot of aspect ratios similar to this on my website because I like the wide angle look.

This image isn't cropped at all. It has an 3:2 aspect ratio. Which do you prefer? Can you guess which one I prefer?

Here is an image that I've not shared with my client yet. As an artist, we choose which aspect ratio we want to share with our clients on each image we edit. Which of these aspect ratios do you prefer? I wonder if it is the same as what I plan to show my client? That's the beauty of being an artist. We get to interpret the image as we feel it is meant to be.

Here are the aspect ratios I used for each: 3:2, 7:5, 16:9, 1:1.

This is a blog circle and next up is Pant the Town Pet Photography serving MA and NH. Be sure to click the link at the bottom of each post to see what each photographer does with our topic this week. Have a great week ya'll :) and Happy Thanksgiving.

**I am hosting Thanksgiving at my house. I MUST keep crazy Moose away from the food.... the turkey in particular. I'm already having visions of Moose standing on the table eating the turkey like the commercial I've seen. That would not be good on soooo many levels!**

Aspect Ratios: Pet Photography Project 52 Week 46