When a frame is being divided by a single, dominant line, it’s more often than not, a Horizon, as they’re fairly common in outdoor photography, particularly landscapes. If the photo is of nothing particularly interesting, then usually this line becomes be the dominant part of the photo for the way in which it separates the frame.

The idea behind this series of tutorials is to walk you through the steps a photographer takes to reach their final shot, and the thought process behind those steps. There’s a long learning curve to taking a photo that you’ve never attempted before and this tutorial is all about helping you to cut out the time it takes to reach a shot you’re happy with.

Horizontal lines are in everything we see and are at the base of every composition. Even photos with no straight lines in them are bound by the horizontal or vertical frame that they’re contained in. It’s important to understand the affect that a horizontal line has on a photo because then you’ll better understand how to use it effectively.