The horizon isn’t exactly in the center of the photo, which is fine. This technique also works when you have elements above the horizon and below the horizon that provide equal impact.Īs mentioned above, a reflection picture warrants placing the horizon line in the center as James Carro did here. Put the horizon line in the center of image when you are shooting a scene with strong symmetry, such as a reflection in water. He put the horizon higher in the photo, but left a bit more room for the sky since it was colorful and the clouds were interesting.Īnd can you see the low perspective Richey used to highlight the plants in the field even more than from a standing position. Richey Oliver’s photo puts the emphasis on the field, which is the foreground. Notice the leading line that’s created by the tops of the dunes that draw the viewer into and through the scene. The sand dunes are the most interesting part of this scene since the sky is a simple shade of blue.

He composed the photo to include only a little bit of sky with a lot of foreground. Roy Goldsberry used a high horizon line to focus on the sand dunes at Death Valley. Using the high horizon line puts the focus on all the area from the viewer to the horizon. The colorful foreground of Grand Prismatic at Yellowstone is definitely the highlight in this scene, compared to the bland sky above the horizon. In this photo, Andrey Snurnitsyn placed the horizon along the upper line of the grid. High horizon lineĪ high horizon line tells the viewer that the foreground is the important part of the scene. The path is a wonderful leading line to guide the viewer’s eye into the scene. The trees and golden background are the prominent subjects of the photo so placing the horizon low, she can include those elements in the picture. The concept of horizon line works with both horizontal and vertical images. Notice how he kept all parts of the trees in the frame of the photo so the subject wasn’t cut off.īonnie Melnichenko also used a low horizon in her vertically oriented photo. He also filled the frame with the trees to provide even more impact to the subject of this image. James Griffin composed the photo with a low horizon line so the colorful sky and silhouetted trees could be the main focus. When you’ve got an amazing sky like this one here, definitely use a low horizon line.Īlso notice the barbed fence used as a leading line toward the eye of the storm.

It will help to create a visually pleasing and balanced image.Ī low horizon line is used to emphasize elements such as a dramatic sky or subjects above the horizon.Īndrey Snurnitsyn placed the horizon along the bottom line of the rule of thirds grid so the dramatic sky could fill most of the space in the image. Using Rule of Thirds to intentionally place the horizon line in your photo is a good composition technique. WATCH the video as we discuss how Horizon Line is used in each image. Take a look at the horizon line photo ideas shared by members of our Facebook Group, Your Photography Journey.

Learn all about horizon line photography and why it’s important.

Using Horizon Line in Landscape Photography

Low horizon line