help - what am I doing wrong - printing 8x10 images

[photo_chick]

You know, this is not really a new dilemma. When you print from 35mm you have to do a little cropping here and there to get the right sized prints as well sometimes.

 

[Snurk71]

Never mind - found it.

 

[boBQuincy]

It is possible to get a focusing screen for some cameras that have the crop lines drawn on them. Then you'll know while you are setting up the shot which areas will get cropped. I'm not too keen on this approach though because it presumes that you will be cropping the same amount from the top and the bottom. If you want to compose so that you always keep the bottom of the photo and just crop more from the top when necessary, a lined focusing screen wouldn't help. The other problem is that not all cameras allow you to replace the focusing screen.

Katz Eye and Haoda Fu both make interchangeable focusing screens for cameras that do not have interchangeable focusing screens. Katz Eye does have one with 8x10 grid lines on it, as well as other styles.
Changing the screen is not for the faint hearted but it does not look that difficult for anyone who is used to working on miniature things.

 

[DVC Jen]

After I started this thread I remembered I had taken some photos of my students last month to be used as end of the year gifts for their parents. These were taken about a week or so after I did senior portraits of the son of a co-worker.

I had real issues with 8x10's with those senior portraits - so when I took the portraits of my students I made sure I backed way up and left room for cropping.

I post processed those pics last night and printed them out for framing. YIPPEE!! I was able to get all of them as very nice 8x10's.

I swear - between work, dance events, birthdays, 2 graduations, cleaning, family arriving from out of state, trying desperately to reach the 50 pound weight loss goal by graduation/vacation, boss issues, and doing these portraits AND trying to get ready for our Disney trip which is 2 weeks away my head is spinning.

Please someone tell me I am not the only one who has made a mistake - thought out a possible resolution to that mistake - and then totally forgotten about it and repeated the same mistake?

I even got my XTi back 3 days ago (early) and still haven't had a second to check it out and see how the sensor is now.