Project 12 - Positioning the Horizon

For this project I shot a series of photographs looking out to sea at Sheringham in Norfolk, positioning the horizon centrally, in the top third and in the bottom third of the frame.

 

This photograph shows the horizon placed centrally in the frame.  The image is balanced in terms of composition because of this equal division.  I think the image is quite pleasing but it isn't particularly eye-catching.  The blues of the sea and the sky complement each other well and the overall feeling is one of calm. 

In this image the horizon has been positioned in the lower third of the frame and gives more importance to the skyscape.  The clouds add interest to the image as they are more prominent in the image, as the sky now occupies a larger proportion of the photo.  The eye is constantly drawn back to the clouds and there is a sense of movement in the clouds which wasn't there in the previous image.

In this final image the horizon is placed in the top third of the frame.  There is movement in the sea which is more clearly visible in this image as it occupies more of the frame.  However my eye is still being drawn back to the sky - I think this is because the sky is a much lighter shade of blue. 

Of these pictures I much prefer the one where the horizon is placed in the lower third.  The sky is more interesting than the foreground sea because of the clouds in this instance.  I feel that this image has a greater sense of depth than the other two, again probably because of the prominent clouds leading the eye through the image.

I forgot to take a picture with foreground detail, so I reshot the project when I was at a local airfield.

In this image the horizon has been placed centrally in the frame.  Although equal in division, the green of the grass makes the foreground appear more prominent.  Even the interesting clouds can't help the eye from being drawn back to the grass and foreground.  I like the trees marking the line of the horizon in this series.

In this image the horizon has been placed in the lower third of the frame.  The sky and wonderful cloud formation is much more prominent and makes for a more dynamic image.  The big cloud at the front dwarfs the trees on the horizon.  The clouds lead the eye through the image adding to the depth of the image.  This is my favourite of this series.

                                     

In this image the horizon is placed in the top third of the frame.  More prominence is given to the foreground grass.  The image is not as interesting with this composition as the sky and clouds are not as striking.

                                      

In this image the horizon is again placed centrally, but the main focus of the image is the derelict brick airfield building in the foreground.  The horizon, grass and sky no longer have the importance in the image, and the eye is drawn to the texture of the building, and the trees growing in and over it. 

Having read the notes in the file, it would appear that the greater feeling of depth in an image should appear when the horizon is place high in the image.  However, I think that in my images the skies and particularly the cloud formations add to the sense of depth in the image when the horizon is placed low.  In both of my images with the horizon placed in the lower third of the frame, the clouds give a sense of movement, and also act as leading lines in the image of the sea.