shooting square with dslr -- how?

<p>Hi everyone,</p>

<p>I keep seeing more and more 6x6 (square) photos in magazines taken with modern Dslr cameras, such as Canon 5d Mark II. I believe it's something done in post procession, but has anyone got any practical advice as how the pros do?</p>

<p>I find it to be a lot difficult to "visualize" the square in a rectangular viewfinder. How they do?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>[[i find it to be a lot difficult to "visualize" the square in a rectangular viewfinder. How they do?]]</p>

<p>In a word? Practice.</p>

<p>It's as simple as that. Yes, some manufacturers offer interchangeable focusing screens for certain models, and those may have helpful additions such as grid lines, but at the end of the day, I believe, it comes down to practice and experience.</p>

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<img src= "http://citysnaps.net/2011%20photos/Sean2.jpg">

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<i>Sean, a guy I met on the street and snapped with my iPhone</i><P></center>

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I've been asking the same question... <P>

 

For the last three or so months I've been shooting with an iPhone. It produces square images with the app

I use. I'd like to carry that over to viewing in square on my 5DII. One thought was to buy a focusing

screen with the sides scribed or masked - but couldn't find one for the 5DII, either from canon or others. Or buy a regular screen and paint over the edges myself. But I

suspect that might have negative consequences with the AE system. Still looking for a reasonable solution that permits viewing in square...

<p>I think most people can visualize a square through their viewfinder. Since you seem to have trouble you could change your focusing screen with one of these Katz Eye screens. They make one with vertical lines to show a square crop.</p>

<p>http://www.katzeyeoptics.com/page--Grid-Lines-Crop-Guides--gridlines.html</p>

<p>The converse is that many have shot landscape or portrait views with a 6x6 cm camera.<br>

As Walt says, 'visualize' and then crop.</p>

<p>Hint: if you hold down the shift key while selecting with the crop (or other tool) you will get a square crop. ;)</p><div></div>

<p>I have shot with various formats, square to long rectangles, and rarely ever crop but tend to use the entire frame. When I have cropped, it was because I did see that crop when I shot an image and knew I would do so when I processed it. The exception is with commercial work, where I always have masked the viewfinder to the required format (generally use LF and MF cameras).<br /> I think because I have trained myself in this way, I do find it terribly difficult to shoot a square when I have a rectangular viewfinder. I am working on a series that uses a square format and when I try to use a different camera, I always like the rectangular image better than the square crop.<br /> I think it does take a lot of practice either way. I do have a grid screen in my dslr which can help when I need to crop for a client, but it isn't the same as masking the viewfinder or using the format required. In commercial you often need to leave "bleed" room for print work and I even ended up masking my cameras for that when it was required. Being able to see with and adapt to your format is an important part of the skill of photography, so this is certainly more of an anomaly! (although I do have friends who have always cropped with their Hasselblad V cameras, I only use it, for personal work, when I want the square format)</p>

<p>Magazines do often crop the photographer's work to meet their needs. They are not as connected to the frame as the photographer and will have no issue cropping to a trendy or required format. I don't know if that is what you are seeing or if the photographers are actually shooting to the square. Often when I do need to do something like that with the Dslr, I will shoot more loosely-lots of room around the subject--so that I can adjust the crop later. I don't like doing that for personal work, but commercially it does often do the job.</p>

<p>I shoot DSLR all the time and some of the images just never look right once I see them on the computer screen. Cropping to square can bring that critical subject into focus and stengthens the image impact. Since I am not shooting with a 6x6 camera, I make do with what I have since I really like the square format.</p>

<p>CHEERS...Mathew</p>

<p>black tape is a easy and quick solution ; )</p>

<p>i use to do this when i was using a 4x5 chamber.. OK, it was easier to tape this big window vs your small viewfinder! but seriously, i and my pro friend just shoot in a regular rectangle but put everything on one side and visualize what will be crop. And whe of course set our import setting to crop everything suquare while importing.</p>

<p>but i dotn need anything special, just shoot and crop accordingly..</p>

I choose the 1x1 crop preset in Lightroom. Works like a charm!

Not sure about a 5d but on the 7d you can view a grid through the viewfinder where the outer vertical lines form a square with the top and bottom of the viewfinder.

<p>5dII's don't have that grid and wondered why Canon didn't have them like the Nikon's where they can be turned on and off. Good to hear it is in this later model. I know you can change screens in the 5dII but don't remember if they had a grid screen-remember looking for one for mine but only found it for my dsm3.</p>

<p>That certainly helps, but it still isn't the same as composing to the bounds of your viewfinder--even if you do have to crop later.</p>

<p>On the 5Dii if you use Live View you can elect to have a grid on the screen. If you ignore the left and right columns you get a 4 x 4 square. You can also fit a grid viewfinder on that camera. </p>

<p>In Lightroom the tools in develop mode include a square frame that you can lock and slide over your image to see if there's a square composition you like.</p>

<p>I think it's pretty easy to just visualize. Go into your favorite editing program, and set up the crop lines on a photo that you have. This should give you a pretty good idea of how much room you have to ignore on either side. It won't be scientific, but it's a pretty solid guess, and within a week of practice, you'll be a pro at it!</p>

<p>My first cameras as a kid were square or nearly square format so I still tend to visualize that way. The viewfinder in my dSLR shows AF brackets that coincidentally can also be used as visual aids for square composition. But I already see that way so I don't often consciously use that as a visual aid.</p>

<p>Easiest way to compose for the square with a rectangular format camera is to bullseye the subject. To heck with other people's "rules" about composition.</p>

<p>The lack of a decent grid is a major flaw in the canon 5d series. It really would help. The interchangeable focusing screens seems to be a pretty expensive option and maybe unhandy in the long time.</p>

<p>I think as Ariel and others said, practice should be the key ;)<br>

@ LEX what do you mean by "bullseye" the subject? To put it in the center, maybe? My english needs constant improvement :D</p>

<p>Thanks everyone, this community rocks!</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I've been shooting only digital since 2008. Just for fun I'm shooting a role of Ektar in my bronica sqa because I have a mailer I must use. I must say I miss composing in the square. This is the one reason I have not sold this camera. For some reason I have not made a square image since going digital. <br>

hugh<br>

<b>Signature URL removed, not allowed per photo.net guidelines.</b></p>

<p>Just follow what David said.</p>

<p>I shoot square a lot with my 4/3s DSLR cameras. I like the sauare format, it seems more intimate to me, somehow. It's pretty easy with a 4:3 aspect ratio, square isn't that far from 4:3 AR so you don't lose so much of the image, just don't frame quite so tight. <br /> <br /> But i have done it with my Canon Cameras as well, and you don't really need any special 3rd party equipment, just a little practice. In that case, frame so that all the important stuff resides in the central 2/3s of the frame.<br /><br /> Frankly, at this point, I see square frame lines that don't really exit. It's a matter of practice and mind set.</p>

<p>Perhaps if you held the camera on edge, and later cropped the top and/or bottom, it would easier to get the square image you seek.</p>

<p>Just found this post. I shoot square exclusively (<a href="http://www.johnwolfphoto.com">www.johnwolfphoto.com</a>) until recently with a 5DII. LiveView offers a grid that indicates a square aspect ratio. I did not like that much. So I bought an Eg-S screen and had Maxwell Precision Optics etch two vertical gridlines that form a square. It's perfect.<br>

Incidentally, I no longer shoot with a 5DII, but still have the screen. If any of your 5DII square lovers are interested, send me an email at johnwolf@earthlink.net.<br>

John</p>