ON THE HORIZON

CONSIDERING WHERE TO PLACE THE HORIZON LINE

Do you know where your horizon is? In many types of nature photography, the horizon line in the image is often not apparent, nor is it important. However, the proportion of land to sky strongly affects the impact of a landscape photograph. In scenes with a broader view that include a foreground, distant objects, and sky, the decision of where to place the horizon is vital.

The beginning photographer, before becoming very involved with the composition of his or her images, tends to place the horizon or other important subjects in the center of the viewfinder. Take these images to a workshop to share them with the class, and the experienced attendees will chime in, “that photo is too centered,” or “our camera club judge deducts points for centered images.” After beginners study enough successful photographs, they realize that centering a subject within the frame usually leads to a static composition. The viewer’s eye is led to the middle and is stuck there.

Being aware that this is a tendency is an important step for good composition, but tendencies tend to become rules instead of becoming a simple awareness of potential problems. Many novice photographers seem to crave rules, but such photo-dogma is dangerous. I have been told it was Edward Weston who once advised, “Always question preconceived notions, especially your own!” I have often recalled this sage advice when I catch myself in a creative rut. Few truly creative photographers rely on rules to create their vision.

The bottom line is that it is important to explore all the options—up, down, or center—without blinders. Even though I rarely place the subject, be it the horizon or a flower, in the center of my camera frame, I don’t want to narrow my choices. If I had adhered to the “don’t center” rule and my own tendency, I would not have made the photograph shown here, Cloud Reflections and Mt. Moran at the Oxbow Bend on the Snake River.

I had just arrived at Grand Teton National Park, and seeing that the clouds and light were intriguing, I stopped by the Oxbow Bend turnout along the Snake River. I set up my 4x5 with a 210mm lens (60mm in 35mm). As I photographed, I varied the composition to include more sky or more reflection. Even though many of the variations looked fine, I kept coming back to a centered horizon where the Rorschach inkblot pattern was strongest. I tried on a 90mm wide-angle lens so that the clouds and their reflections filled the frame, but then saw that the mountains receded too much, making them look too small. I decided that I needed the impact of the peaks so I returned to the 210mm lens so the peaks were prominent and I could still include the drama of the clouds. With a horizontal framing, I lost either the top group of clouds or their reflections, so the image’s balance was also lost. A vertical composition with the horizon very close to the center and the symmetry of clouds and reflection clearly emphasized was the most successful image.

As soon as you become aware of the importance of the horizon line’s placement, you will be making similar decisions in designing your images. Watch carefully as you raise and lower your camera to see how relationships within the frame change. How do the mood, emphasis, and scale change? Think about what is most important to you in the image. When the foreground is most important, push the horizon toward the frame’s top edge to see if it works. When you have an amazing sky, try placing the horizon in a low position.

If you find that you are indecisive in the field, you may wish to try variations on the horizon’s position. Then carefully study the resulting images in order to select the best variation. It can be easier to judge the results when removed from the excitement of the moment. With time, you will be more able to make the right decision at the time of exposure. Though we are able to make many post-exposure corrections, far more opportunities are present at the original scene in terms of composition.

My favorite example of the importance of the horizon is Ansel Adams’s Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico. As the story is told, Ansel had only enough time for one exposure in order to capture the fading light. Despite the haste required, he knew what effect he wanted. His composition placed the horizon line about one third of the way up from the bottom, and the moon lies in the middle. Above the moon, the top half the image is only sky. The feeling of space is an essential element to the photograph, and with this composition the expansive quality of the desert comes ringing through. Many other factors make Moonrise a great image, but the proportion of land to sky is an unsung yet essential factor.

The next time you photograph the landscape, consider the horizon, break a few rules, and remember Ansel’s Moonrise.

Lava Flow Entering the Sea from Pu’u O’o Vent | Kamoamoa Coastline, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii | 1994