Spiritual Photo Tip 4: Horizon Lines

Horizon lines offer ever-changing beauty. The way the light plays on land or water can be breathtaking.

In photography, when we’re talking about horizon lines, we’re not only talking about that traditional line between earth & sky. 

Your horizon line can be a flower bed, a fence, or anything really.

That natural line between things can become the main focus of your photo, or simply an element of composition.

It’s the same in life.

What horizon line are you setting your sights on? What are your goals in life?

Whether it’s a traditional one or one of your own making, make sure you know what you’re manifesting. Where attention grows, energy flows.

Keep your sights set high for yourself. Keep a vision in mind and in heart of the life you want to live. Infuse it with feeling & beauty and watch it manifest.

Although there are times when having a horizon line dead centre in your photo is wonderful (like in today’s first image), it’s usually best to avoid it.

You can place it using the Rule of Thirds (see previous post) or experiment with giving it even more space – placing it super low or super high in your photograph.

It all depends on the emotion you want to convey – what you want to celebrate or honour with your image.

Do you want to focus on the sky or the sea? The logs or the village?

Be creative! Avoid boring shots with the horizon dead centre. Expand the space above or below the real or implied horizon line and see what happens.

Sometimes, that means lifting or lowering your camera, but more often, it simply means tilting it so that line changes place.

The expression “to broaden your horizons” means to open yourself to a wider range of opportunities and choices.

Are you bored? If so, maybe it’s time to expand your own horizons.

Mark on your calendar to try at least 1 new experience each month – by yourself or with others.

This can be in any area of your life: a class you’ve been curious about, a new restaurant, an alternative health practitioner you’ve wanted to go to, a new hobby, date night ritual, or approach to your every day work.

Try it…. you just might like it! Creativity is fun!

Growth comes with stretching your comfort zones. If it’s inspired, it’s bound to open you to greater health & happiness.

There’s something disconcerting about a horizon line that’s slightly crooked. Most people don’t pay attention to it when they take a picture. But the viewer can feel it – even if they can’t identify the source of that feeling.

It’s easier than ever to keep horizon lines straight. The Edit app in my iPhone X automatically straightens the horizon when I select the Crop tool. My jaw dropped when I first discovered that!

To avoid having to spend time editing later, however, simply check before taking the photo if it’s parallel to the frame or the grid lines (that you can turn on in your settings).

Similarly, with all the tools and resources these days, it’s so much easier to stay aligned on our Path.

You don’t have to do it alone.

Whether you get support from a book, online program, life coach,  group, or your Team of Divine Helpers – there are mirrors everywhere showing you when your life is getting off kilter. 

So when you’re feeling off balance, don’t wait too long to straighten up. It’s easier to correct the earlier you address it. You don’t want that slight unease to get worse. And the quicker and more often you self-correct, the better you’ll get at not wavering from your Path.

You’ve got what it takes to get your life back on track!

If this doesn’t feel true, ask your intuition/ Team of Divine Helpers to guide you to the right support for you. Then pay attention to what shows up in your life.

Although a slightly crooked horizon line is just plain uncomfortable, sometimes it’s great to tilt that camera at a weird angle to skew that horizon in a totally unusual way.

Why?

It can add dynamism or emotion to your shot. Sometimes, a little drama can be a good thing!

For example, in the first photo, I wanted to convey the storm that may have led to the shipwreck, explaining the pieces of the ship strewn all over the beach.

In the other 2 examples, it was more a choice of design and playfulness.

If you don’t overdo this method in your albums, they add not only to the variety of your photos but of the viewer experience.

It can be the same in life. I’ll admit, I’m a creature of habit. I thrive on routine and am not a big fan of change. You can’t tell that if you look at my life, however – having lived, studied and worked on 3 continents and 5 provinces in 2 distinct careers before becoming a full time artist….

Why?

Because I’ve learned that if inspired, doing something completely unexpected or out of the ordinary can lead to the greatest growth.

Living an intuitive life isn’t a straight path. Its twists and turns can tilt your life into unusual angles.

Those guided big changes that seem illogical to others make life interesting and can open up so much for you.

Make sure to check out my free 75-minute tutorial on living an intuitive life to open to inspired change.

This series is designed to open new ways of seeing, increasing the love & beauty in your life.

Know that by sharing your photos and reflections on social media or in other ways, you’re inspiring others

• to set sights on higher horizons,
• to straighten or broaden their horizons, and
• to take healthy risks and make big changes.

So go ahead, be creative and have fun with this week’s homework – photographing, living, and sharing new horizons.