Exercise - Positioning the horizon.

In this exercise we are to explore the position of the horizon in a photograph and the distinct areas it creates. The scene I have chosen is the beach which gives us the sky and clouds above the horizon and the sea and beach below. Equipment used - Fujifilm S100fs handheld. Conditions where overcast and pics were taken at around 10:30am.

Shot A - High horizon.

Shot B - Above center horizon.

Shot C - Central horizon.

Shot D - Below center horizon.

Shot E - Low horizon.

In this first shot (Shot A) I have placed the horizon in a high position. This is a shot which obviously makes the sea and the beach the main focal points, however, because the clouds are quite interesting I feel my eye is being drawn there as well. If the horizon was any higher than this I really don't think the photo would've worked at all.






This second shot (Shot B) has the horizon just above the center. Although the sea and beach are dominating more of the photo the sky is also very much part of the photo and of equal interest. I think it's fair to say that the sky compliments the foreground here. This works really well.







Shot C has been taken with the horizon dead center. Now neither the sky nor the sea/beach dominate this photo and because of this it feels less dramatic. I think maybe the horizon has become the main focal point to this photo with whats above and below contrasting to a greater effect.






In Shot D we have placed the horizon just below the center and as such the sky seems to take on a more important role than the foreground. I quite like this shot and it does seem to work but I think it probably wouldn't work if there were no clouds.

Shot B edited.

In this final shot (Shot E) I have placed the horizon in a very low position which is making the sky the main focal point. The foreground is now there to give a sense of scale yet there is still enough to draw the eye. If the horizon was any lower or if the sky wasn't as interesting then I don't think this photo would work.







I have taken the best from the bunch (shot B) and edited it.