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Horizontal and Vertical Alignment

Take a moment to scroll through the photos in your phone’s gallery. You might notice that many of them have skewed compositions. If your photos are free from this issue, you have successfully achieved horizontal and vertical alignment, making your shots better than most. But what exactly does “horizontal and vertical alignment” mean? Essentially, it means aligning the elements in your photo with two reference lines: one horizontal and one vertical. More simply, the horizontal elements should align with the horizon, and the vertical elements should align with structures in the frame.

Achieving horizontal and vertical alignment helps to recreate the scenes as our eyes naturally perceive them. This familiar and comfortable perspective enhances the viewer’s experience.

For example, in this seascape photo, I used the endless horizon as a reference line. What I saw was a flat horizon, and I wanted you to see it the same way, so the photo had to be level.

You may have noticed that horizontal and vertical alignment doesn’t require both elements to be perfectly aligned simultaneously. Depending on the content and angle, you can adjust accordingly. Always remember, the goal is to represent the scene as our eyes see it.

In this photo, my reference line was the vertical buildings, as I shot from a side angle. I wanted to capture the “JUST DO IT.” slogan clearly while incorporating some tilted lines to add dynamism to the scene, which suited the action of crossing the street.

Intentional Tilt

However, horizontal and vertical alignment is not always mandatory. In certain situations, a slight tilt or sacrificing alignment can produce better results.

A tilted composition can help capture more suitable content or add dynamism to the photo. Sacrificing alignment is often necessary for candid shots. When capturing a moment quickly, alignment becomes less important than the content itself.

Additionally, certain angles like upward or downward views naturally do not conform to horizontal and vertical alignment. It’s better to present these scenes as they are without forcing correction.

This photo required a tilted angle to capture both the tall building and the cyclist.

Tilting is especially useful for food shots such as

The tilted lines, sometimes, can draw the viewer’s attention directly to the subject of your photo:

The choice between horizontal and vertical alignment and intentional tilt is the first consideration before shooting. Your photo doesn’t need to be perfectly aligned, but you must have a clear purpose for tilting your shot. Avoid mindlessly snapping photos without consideration.

As mentioned in the seascape example, I wanted you to see the flat horizon as I did, which is why I chose horizontal alignment. However, the sea can also be photographed with a tilt if you have a specific vision and reason for doing so.

Personally, I rarely use tilt in my photos, and for many photographers, non-tilted shots are the norm. However, this does not mean horizontal and vertical alignment is always correct. The choice ultimately depends on you, the photographer, and your vision and habits behind the shot.

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