diff --git a/server/app/image_pipeline.py b/server/app/image_pipeline.py
index 35812f3..36dbe62 100644
--- a/server/app/image_pipeline.py
+++ b/server/app/image_pipeline.py
@@ -38,10 +38,13 @@ def _face_aware_crop_box(
     img_width: int, img_height: int, target_width: int, target_height: int, faces: list[dict]
 ) -> tuple[int, int, int, int]:
     """Largest crop window matching target_width:target_height that fits
-    inside the source image, centered on the union of all face bounding
-    boxes instead of the image's geometric center. Doesn't guarantee every
-    face survives if they're spread wider than the crop window allows --
-    just biases toward keeping them on screen, best-effort.
+    inside the source image. Starts from the plain center crop and only
+    shifts it the minimum amount needed to bring any faces that would
+    otherwise be cut off back on screen -- an already-fine composition
+    (faces already fully inside the center crop) is left untouched rather
+    than re-centered on the faces. If the faces themselves span wider than
+    the crop window allows, centers on their midpoint as best-effort,
+    since there's no shift that fits them all regardless.
 
     Each face's box is given relative to its own imageWidth/imageHeight
     (the resolution Immich ran detection on), which may differ from the
@@ -60,9 +63,6 @@ def _face_aware_crop_box(
         min_y = min(min_y, face["boundingBoxY1"] * scale_y)
         max_y = max(max_y, face["boundingBoxY2"] * scale_y)
 
-    faces_cx = (min_x + max_x) / 2
-    faces_cy = (min_y + max_y) / 2
-
     target_ratio = target_width / target_height
     if img_width / img_height > target_ratio:
         crop_h = img_height
@@ -71,8 +71,27 @@ def _face_aware_crop_box(
         crop_w = img_width
         crop_h = int(crop_w / target_ratio)
 
-    left = max(0, min(faces_cx - crop_w / 2, img_width - crop_w))
-    top = max(0, min(faces_cy - crop_h / 2, img_height - crop_h))
+    left = (img_width - crop_w) / 2
+    top = (img_height - crop_h) / 2
+
+    if max_x - min_x <= crop_w:
+        if min_x < left:
+            left = min_x
+        elif max_x > left + crop_w:
+            left = max_x - crop_w
+    else:
+        left = (min_x + max_x) / 2 - crop_w / 2
+
+    if max_y - min_y <= crop_h:
+        if min_y < top:
+            top = min_y
+        elif max_y > top + crop_h:
+            top = max_y - crop_h
+    else:
+        top = (min_y + max_y) / 2 - crop_h / 2
+
+    left = max(0, min(left, img_width - crop_w))
+    top = max(0, min(top, img_height - crop_h))
 
     return (int(left), int(top), int(left) + crop_w, int(top) + crop_h)