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Don’t cut your subject in half with the horizon

This tip comes from wildlife photographer Andy Rouse and is particularly aimed at those photographing animals – but is a tip that might be applicable for those shooting portraits in outdoor settings.

Andy’s tip is one that I’d never considered before. He explains:

“Don’t cut across your subject with the horizon as it ruins the composition. Either leave the horizon out completely or have the subject on top of it and use the horizon as a natural framing point in the bottom of the image.”

To place the horizon at the top of a frame you might like to try shooting from slightly above your subject and to place it lower in the image shoot from down low.

Andy goes on to suggest that if you can’t avoid placing the horizon in the middle of your subject then to try to cut down the harshness of the horizon’s line by using a smaller depth of field (using a large aperture) to lessen it’s impact.

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Darren Rowse
Darren Rowse

is the editor and founder of Digital Photography School and SnapnDeals.

He lives in Melbourne Australia and is also the editor of the ProBlogger Blog Tips. Follow him on Instagram, on Twitter at @digitalPS or on Google+.

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