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Learning to see in terms of photography is the most powerful control photographers have available to improve their work. The photographer can isolate a subject and present it in a most visual and graphic form. The problem is that a picture or photograph is only two-dimensional. The third dimension, depth, can only be shown with lines, light and focus. The camera is a mirror that takes everything in its view.

The student must learn to use the camera to record what they see. This involves the skill of learning to see what the camera lens sees. The lens does not see the same way that people see, because of this it is important to understand the differences between the eye and the camera.

The lens is part of a machine and it sees everything indiscriminately.

The eye is part of a living thinking human being that will use perception to see. People are influenced by their senses.

The camera has one lens and sees everything as a flat field all pictures are two-dimensional having height and length no depth. The lens records one frame at a time the subject will be out of context.

The eye is selective as to what it sees, pictures are three dimensional they have height length and depth. The eye records the entire view.

The camera can change lenses: to make subject larger or smaller; to give a greater angle or smaller angle of view; or change the depth of field.

The eye can not change lenses, increase or decrease the angle of view or alter the depth of field.

The camera can use time lapse to record an event over a period of time, it can record multiple events on one frame. The camera lens can record a large area of the electromagnetic spectrum. An image is recorded on film in exact detail forever.

The eye can only see one thing at a time and relies on the memory to visualize events. The eye only sees a small part of the visual spectrum.

The camera can freeze motion or stop action of a particular event.

The eye does not stop motion.

A picture must communicate instantly. Look for outlines that are distinct. Small detail and texture gives identity. Look for an order. Motion gives a dynamic quality. Techniques such as repetition will add to a picture when done correctly. To properly visualize a picture the following steps need to be taken.

Planning is a very important part of picture taking. Before releasing the shutter, think about the picture to see if it communicates the original concept. Is there a better way to communicate? Think about this and concentrate. The two greatest skills to develop are thinking and seeing. Photographers have to learn to visualize, conceptualize and are not afraid to use imagination.

Photography is a universal language. The camera is a tool; a mechanical means through which to record an idea or event. Photographs freeze time forever. Seeing with a camera involves more than looking through a camera lens. The camera is like any other tool; it is only as good as the individual using it. The photographer must be skilled at using the camera, light, exposure, film, paper, and darkroom.

The photographer must not only visualize something but must record the idea. This involves knowledge of light and how to use it by using the camera controls. A thorough knowledge of exposure is necessary to record any image on film.

Cropping may be defined as editing the picture. It is simply eliminating the unnecessary parts of a picture leaving the meaningful elements. In order for a picture to be most effective the essential cropping should be done in the viewfinder of the camera. However this is not always possible and it remains for the picture to be cropped.

Effective cropping requires knowledge of the principles of composition. Cropping can shift the emphasis from one area to another, alter the balance, or add interest to an uninteresting picture, it can also ruin a well composed picture.

One of the hardest tasks a photographer has to do is to throw away part of their effort. When taking a picture the photographer is concentrating on getting the picture and not necessarily on what the finished picture will look like. Sometimes the photographer is hurried and has to photograph what they can. The photographer could not get as close as they should or an angle that is pleasing, this creates a lot of unwanted parts in the picture. Cropping can be used to improve backgrounds, mergers, distracting shapes and improve composition. The person cropping the picture must decide on the following: what they are going to do with that picture, what shape they want the photograph, and what elements are going to be used in the picture. The most important cropping should be done in the viewfinder.

The printing process gives the opportunity for cropping, by not printing the entire image; or the picture can be cropped after printing by physically cutting away the least essential areas.

There is a general rule in picture composition, which says that part of the picture is usually better than the whole. As you crop so shall you reap. The most important idea to keep in mind when cropping is the purpose of the picture.

Here are some important rules to follow when cropping a picture:

1. Decide on shape. Place "L" frames over the picture in the necessary proportional rectangle. Move them about over the surface until you are certain of where to crop. Mark this area and cut or print this part only. Remember that enlarging paper is a rectangle (4x5, 5x7, 8x10, or 11x14) this size may not necessarily be proportional to the picture.
2. Study the possible ways of cropping very carefully. Often the entire "feel" of the picture can be changed. Decide which best fits the layout. A good picture is usually the simplest one. Many times there are more than one composition in a single picture.
3. Do not crop too timidly. If a detail is doubtful, it usually means that is best eliminated. Generally it is better to eliminate than to add.
4. Do not be afraid to cut marginal objects-such as tree trunks. It is not always necessary to show the whole of an object when a part of it will convey the same thing. However, avoid leaving parts of an object floating around without support or a base.
5. When cropping pictures of people do not crop at joints. Avoid cutting at wrists and ankles or any joints as this creates a disturbing effect.
6. Carefully consider the shape of the picture- as it must fit into the entire layout. Tall objects are best placed in a vertical space while wide ones are best suited to wide horizontal formats.
7. Eliminate wasted space- unless it definitely adds to the meaning of the picture.
8. Margins are parallel with vertical or horizontal lines-the objects in the picture such as building walls or horizontal lines should be parallel. This will prevent an unnatural tilted effect.
9. Leave more space in front of movement-in front of the direction in which a person is looking or object moving.
10. Lines should lead eye toward subject-All strong lines and shapes should if possible lead the eye toward the most important part of the picture and not away from it.
11. Avoid lines leading out of the picture-also white or light tone areas in the corners will draw attention out of picture. White areas tend to draw the attention of the eye and in such cases lead it away from the important area. Any strong line should not cut the corner of a picture.
12. Locate subject on thirds-The most important area or part of the picture should be located along the "rule of thirds"- never in the exact center of the picture format. Consider the balance of the masses and forms that make up the image.

Portraits--The purpose in photographing a person is to portray the subject's personality and capture an interesting expression to make a picture that is pleasing to the subject.

Action and sports--A principle to follow when cropping action in sport shots is to allow more space in the direction that the action is moving or looking. Crop tight behind the action, but leave sufficient space in front of or before the action to emphasize the effect of direction of motion.

Cropping "L's" --Two-L shaped pieces of cardboard, called "ells", are used to help us see the "best picture". These ells can be cut from any heavy paper or thin board. Cropping "L’s" are placed over the print like a frame and adjusted to different sizes in order to observe the best possibilities for cropping.

The pencil should be sharpened to a fine point so that the cropping marks are thin. Crop marks should be placed directly on the contact print or enlargement. Permanent marks are used in the border of the photograph to indicate where the picture is to be cropped.

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