Once you’ve learned to take two steps closer to fill the frame and use the Rule of Thirds, the next big hurdle is defining a compelling composition when no horizon line is present. Many students struggle with this; it seems that an image without a horizon line is like a map without any roads. We know the roads are there, but the map only shows the terrain.

Perhaps by now you are starting to get that every composition, with or without obvious horizon lines, is made up of lines. First and foremost there are the Suggestion of Thirds lines, but on top of this we see perhaps a single layer of lines, or multiple layers of lines: lines that are thick and wide or thin and narrow; lines that are short; lines that are long; lines that run diagonally, vertically, and/or horizontally. And, as you may know, when a line closes on itself, it becomes a shape. Just like lines, shapes come in varying sizes and tones and thus have their own visual weight. All of us perceive lighter-toned lines and shapes as more delicate, fragile, and quieter than heavier-toned lines and shapes, which we perceive as stronger, more decisive, and forceful. With practice, you will begin seeing and speaking the language of effective composition withs or without horizon lines. By the way, if you have yet to engage the built-in grid on your camera, or if you have yet to make your own, now is the time to do that as we move toward compositions where no defined horizon lines are present within the photograph.