Project 12: positioning the horizon

Project 12 was all about experimenting with the horizon placed in different positions; dividing a picture in to two distinct parts.   There may be occasions when you have to divide the picture due to colour contrasts, light/shade and the horizon is a natural dividing line.   Sometimes the horizon itself can be the most interesting part in the picture.

The aim was to find a view that gave a reasonably interesting landscape in which there was an unbroken and clear horizon, then take about 6 pictures with the horizon in different positions, ranging from top to bottom.   I had looked at a number of other blogs and examples of this project and decided to go for something a little different.   Israel has some wonderful sunsets that really light up the sky in the late evening, and I thought a picture of the Jerusalem skyline, with a wonderfully lit evening sky would make a good subject.   The photographs were taken from the roof of my apartment block and look out over to New Jerusalem…..not necessarily the skyline view that most people would associate with Jerusalem.

Although the landscape itself is in darkness, and therefore not necessarily the most interesting, I really like the contrast between the dark city and the lovely colours in the evening sky.   I also like the New Jerusalem horizon line, which has a lot of interest to make the view interesting.

Playing around with the horizon in different positions was interesting in that it really made me realise how much the placement can effect the picture.   Having the horizon too high or too low made this particular picture rather weak, whereas placing the horizon one third from the top or bottom made a real difference, giving quite a strong composition.

I know when I was taking pictures as a kid, it was always natural to place the horizon smack bang in the middle of the frame, without any thought for placing it somewhere else.   This project has certainly taught me to play around with the positioning of the horizon to get a stronger image.