Pretty much any point-and-shoot or DSLR (with the exception of a medium-format or large-format camera) shoots in the 4×6 ratio. This means that when you make a 4×6 print, it will look exactly the way it’s framed in-camera. But if you enlarge it to a 5×7, you can see that some of the height will get cropped off. With an 8×10, even more height is lost. So if you had something important at the very top or bottom of the frame, it would get cut out. And you can see the ratios of other common sizes in the diagram as well. In the 20×24 size, the pom at the top of the hat gets cut out of the image. This is definitely something to keep in mind while taking pictures. I usually try to frame my photo the way I want it, but then zoom out a bit to leave some extra cropping room. If you’ll be making enlargements, that foresight will really pay off in the end!
