Keeping Horizon Lines and Shorelines Level

Before you go out shooting seascape and landscape scenes,here are some tips to prevent a tilting line or shoreline

Photographing Level Horizons

• Use a tripod. It helps keep your camera steady - in any position you select - so you can compose your picture more precisely
• A bubble level often tips you off to any titling.Some tripods come equipped with a level;otherwise,an add-on accessory is available that slips onto the camera's flash shoe.But such a bubble is NOT foolproof (see next item).
• trust your eye:On occasion,the horizon may not look right,even though the camera appears perfectly level...and even though the bubble level confirms it.In those cases,you may need to actually slant the camera ever so slightly in order to keep the image visually level
• After composing your shot,check the viewfinder to see if things look "right".Especially:Is there the same amount of sky AND the same amount of land (or sea) on each side of the picture
  

Lastly: Think of these horizon-line suggestions as take-it-or-leave-it guidelines that you consider thoughtfully, not as hard-and-fast orders that you follow mindlessly. For example, intentionally "rocking the photographic boat" - i.e., with a severe slant - could result in a visually striking "diagonal" image!