Framing or cropping?

I might be wrong but I'm getting the feeling that 'cropping' and 'framing' are confusingly coming to mean one and the same thing on the forum. I say this because I read phrases like 'great crop' when the commentator has no idea what the original framing was like and therefore cannot comment.

It has always been my belief that 'framing' is what you do in the camera viewfinder and 'cropping' is what you do in PP whether on an enlarger easel or in Photoshop.

I agree Ken. Framing is how you select what you include or exclude at the shooting stage.

Cropping is what we do in Photoshop or under the enlarger. Or using a pair of scissors on a print.

I think I may have been guilty on occasion of using the word "Crop" when I should indeed have said "Frame" I guess nowadays we are so used to seeing manipulated images we automatically assume the image has also been cropped to display it at its best.
We would never have said "Great Crop" when looking at print from 35mm on 8x10 paper and yet the image would have to be cropped to get it to fit.

I've tried very hard in my personal work never to crop and printed the full frame within the sheet of paper(I've read and own far too many books about Magnum and HCB to be honest!). With commercial work of course you have to give the layout designer some leeway or if you are composing for 10x8 wedding mounts and so on.

Your guilty plea has been taken into account and sentence will be passed when I have reports from social workers and health professionals

I agree... I tend to say cropping more than framing, usually when criticising an awkwardly framed shot. When looking at a shot it's not so relevent whether the poor composition is a result of cropping in PP or poor framing... the composition is the important thing. I think I stopped using framing because people get confused about that term too.... does it mean the border added in PP, or does it refer to natural framing within the shot e.g. a view through a window....

Now we have lots of megapixels but still have corner falloff I always prefer to go a little wider so I can crop if required.

That and the fact I always get wonky horizons!

I shall plead;

Not Guilty M'lud, I was FRAMED

In which case you framed yourself and this is a self portrait.