The horizon in landscape photography and of course, the sky are usually significant. Most landscapes have either a dominant foreground or sky; the photo may seem boring if they are not there.

If the sky is rather monotonous, like a bright blue or gloomy grey sky, do not let that dominate the picture. Place the horizon at least in the top third of the image, but be careful that the foreground stays interesting.

On the other hand, when the sky is full of drama and interesting cloud formations, and colours are available, give it room. Lowering the horizon can be fun and exciting.

Use of filters

Post-processing can also significantly improve the sky, but filters should be considered to add colour and contrast. ND grad filters will also help balance the picture’s dynamic range, and polarisers will intensify the blues. I will return later to the dynamic range and the use of filters in another post.

Tilting horizon in landscape photography

In post-processing levelling, a horizon in Photoshop or Lightroom is not too difficult. Still, ensuring the horizon runs horizontally when creating the image is always much better. A tilting horizon is highly distracting and takes away from the image. Especially in seascapes, one should avoid the ocean looking like it will pour off to one side of the photo unless it is part of the dynamic set-up for a specific sailing scene.

Composition

When it comes to composition, the most natural place for the horizon on one of the third lines (above or below) is better than right in the middle. But of course, there are always occasions where symmetry with the horizon right in the middle can contribute to a serene image. A centred horizon usually works very well in the case of reflections as, by default, the composition is easily balanced.

There are occasions where the horizon can be left out totally. When no horizon is visible, one usually speaks of a closed landscape. Creating a feeling of depth can be more difficult for closed landscapes, but it is certainly not impossible.

I will develop several of these topics in future blogs. So keep reading, and please let me know your feelings about the rules and breaking them.

The landscape photo Guy

Guy Lambrechts