Do you think there’s anything that feels “off” about this photo?
How about this shot? Does it feel like something isn’t quite right?
I’ll bet that at some point in time, you shared a photo to get some feedback, and someone said, “Hey! You need to straighten that horizon line!”
This statement is most likely in the top five, most often given, pieces of advice that newer photographers hear.
At times, it is good advice. But, this isn’t good advice every time.
In this article, professional photographer Tobie Schalkwyk will provide you with some thoughts and tips on when to straighten and when not to straighten crooked horizons or subject lines.
It’s a valuable insight, and you’ll enjoy reading this along with taking in some of Schalywyk’s stunning photography.
Here is an excerpt from Tobie’s guide:
“The interesting thing is that the average human brain sometimes accepts tilted horizons (or other tilted objects for that matter) as ‘acceptable’ and other times not. This lack of a hard rule can be quite confusing to (primarily) beginner – or amateur – photographers. A question that often pops up on photography forums is ‘When is a tilted horizon acceptable and when not’?”
You can get some help figuring that out right now!
Photo Credit: Tobie Schalkwyk
