Positioning the horizon

A Coastal Walk


I took these images during a walk along a coastal path. The walk presented opportunities for varying the position of the horizon in both landscapes and seascapes. I took several sequences and, after analysis, settled on one seascape and one landscape because they presented different aspects to consider when deciding where to place the horizon.

All the images were taken using a 40mm fixed focal length lens. The camera was set to aperture priority and I selected f16 to maximise depth of field. There was no significant cropping of images during editing; only a very small amount on one or two images where I needed to level the horizon.

Sequence A; Landscapes


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The central horizon (1) cuts the picture in half which is not an attractive composition. It gives equal weight to the land and sky, which are not equal in their impact on the picture. In this case, while there are some interesting low clouds, most of the sky is a featureless blue, adding little to the image. Images 4 and 5, giving prominence to the sky, are therefore the least favourable images. The textures and patterns in the foreground are more interesting, therefore it seems desirable to give this more emphasis. Image 3 goes too far with this, pressing the mountain against the top of the frame and revealing too much uninteresting gravel in the foreground. Image 2, for me, is the best composition as it gives more of a sense of depth and distance in the picture, leading the viewer towards the mountain, giving prominence to the more interesting foreground while maintaining the most attractive features of the sky.

Sequence B; Seascapes


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In the seascapes, the sky is obviously the strong point, therefore requires more prominence than it gets in images 6, 7 and 8. While there are some interesting patterns and textures in the rocky beach they don't add nearly so much to the the sense of the small ship disappearing into the distance as the sky does. The sky leads the viewer to and beyond the ship. Therefore, images 9 and 10 provide the compositions with the most impact; 9 is probably the best because it retains something of the expanse of the sea.  Image 11, with the very low horizon, is little more than a record shot of the sky; the idea of the long sea journey is diminished.