That got your attention. But, this isn't about megabytes or megapixels or dots per inch...

This may seem like a daft question... When cropping photos for printing, should one stick to the recognised format ratios: 6 x 4, 7 x 5, etc, or to the standard medium format sizes (all scaled up of course)? Or is it OK (especially from a competition perspective, I guess) to use any ratio for the crop (maybe make a 10 x 5 print, for example)?

I imagine that the mounted print should ideally have a standard size -- makes it easier to get framed, anyway.

(This question applies to digital and analogue photography, but Photoshop makes cropping so much easier.)

And is there an ideal size for the print to be entered into competitions?

Thanks.

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Or so I tell the wife!!

You can crop to any ratio you like. Whatever makes the image come out best.

We often see "panoramic" shots in competitions, both print and slide. I generally just do a crop I like.

In terms of print size for competition about 10 x 8 is as small as I would go, but we have no minimum. The mount is a maximum 20 x 16 though.

Hope that helps.

Regards,

Rob.

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