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How to Photograph for 8x10 Prints

A standard 35mm negative is 24x36mm, or a rectangle almost 1 inch by 1.5 inches. This is a perfect ratio for a 4x6 print, but if you want to go to a 5x7 print or an 8x10 print, you will have to choose which portion of the 35mm frame you would like to print. That's because 8x10 is a shorter rectangle than the 35mm frame. This same rule applies to other size frames, such as medium format in 6x4.5, 6x6 and 6x7. To effectively print to an 8x10, you must compose with a 4-to-5 ratio in mind and crop.

Instructions

Instructions
- 1
  Compose the photograph through the viewfinder. Before pressing the shutter release, consider what size you will print the photograph. If you plan to make an 8x10 print and you are shooting a 35mm frame, you'll have to do some math.
- 2
  Equal out one number in the ratio of the size of the negative to the length of the smallest side of the print. Once you have equaled out one side, subtract the total length on the longer side of print from the longer side of the negative to find out how much you will have to crop.
  
  A 35mm negative has a ratio of 2-to-3. To equal the smallest side of the 8x10, a 35mm image would be printed full-frame at 8x12. To fit the 8x10 format, the negative or digital image must be printed with 2 inches cropped from the long side.
  
  Many digital post-processing programs help figure out how to automatically crop for a desired print size, but they don't help you compose the original frame to accommodate a print size.
- 3
  Crop 2 inches from the long side of the frame as you shoot. Either center the subject in the frame or compose with the subject at one of the ends of the frame. You can later crop 1 inch from each side of the frame, or crop 2 inches from one side of the frame during printing.

Photography