The Single Crop That Changed My Photography Forever [Pt.1]

Sometimes, a single decision in the editing room can redefine your entire photographic style. In this video, I take a look back at one of the most personally significant photos of my career: a black and white shot of the beach at Shingle Street, Suffolk, taken in the late 1980s, long before I became a professional photographer. I discuss how this image marked a major turning point in my transition from the darkroom to digital, and how a simple crop transformed a standard 35mm frame into one of my signature landscape prints. Whether you’re shooting film or the latest digital gear, the lessons learned from this "old" photo still apply to how I approach architectural and landscape photography today. In this video: The history of the Shingle Street photo and the gear used (Olympus OM2n). The moment I realised a crop could "save" and elevate the composition. Moving from the darkroom to high-resolution scanning and Photoshop. Tips for printing large-scale fine art (6-foot wide prints!). Reflecting on photographic style and finding inspiration in your roots. A photo taken on film, scanned 15 years later inspired my interest in digital black and white, and making large prints. What does it mean to me? 0:00 Introduction: Photos in my home 0:44 The Gear: Olympus OM2n and 24mm lenses 1:12 Location: Shingle Street and the Suffolk Coast 2:30 The Turning Point: Transitioning from film to digital 3:18 The Power of the Crop: Transforming the image 4:44 Composition: Minimalism and the "Big Sky" look 5:54 Does Photographic Style Matter? 7:25 Large Format Printing: From 35mm to 6-foot prints 8:38 Personal Significance and Heritage 9:53 Conclusion and Your Questions Part 2: A second video looks at the technical and photographic issues associated with processing, printing and mounting the print.    • The Shot That Changed Everything: My Full ...   An article [2015] compares scans of this negative with a flatbed and drum scanner, as well as the Canon FS4000 I originally used for the scan https://www.northlight-images.co.uk/m... See also my video about whether you need to worry about having a photographic 'style'    • Must you have a photographic style, does i...   I've another video about making one of my favourite B&W prints: Making a black & white fine art landscape print. Every step from photography to making a large print:    • Making a black & white fine art landscape ...   ----------------- If you'd like to make a small donation, I have a Kofi page: "Buy me a coffee" https://ko-fi.com/keithcooper ----------------- My articles and videos are always free to access. Any help with running this channel is gratefully received. ----------------- I also have some affiliate links which earn me a commission if used. US Amazon photo/print gear: https://amzn.to/3l9vJC6 B&H Photo: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/?BI=2008... Adorama: https://www.adorama.com/?utm_source=r...