Does the lens decide where the horizone goes?

[Marcus Carlsson]

I just sat in my darkroom with my finger soaked in some juicy developer and I just started to think if the position of the lense alone decide where the horizone goes.

I have just come home from the beach and thinks its hard to get the horizone where I want it to be. Sometimes it comes right in the head of the model and sometimes in the sholders (I mean when I set up the camera, naturally I can change that then).

I normaly have the back and front parallell to the models and usually rise or lower the front.

So, here comes my question:
If the back and front are parallell, will the position of the horizon be where the lense are?

Example, I put the lens the same height as the models shoulders and then rise the back, so the models feet will be visible in the shot. Will the horizon then appear behind her shoulders?

/ Marcus

[Ole Tjugen]

So, here comes my question:
If the back and front are parallell, will the position of the horizon be where the lense are? ...

Yes.

[Leonard Evens]

Not only do the standards have to be parallel, but they also should be plumb (vertical). Then the lens axis will be perpendicular to the standards and horizontal. If the horizon is sufficiently far away and you are not on a rise or in a depression, the lens axis will point towards the horizon.

[Marcus Carlsson]

Not only do the standards have to be parallel, but they also should be plumb (vertical). Then the lens axis will be perpendicular to the standards and horizontal. If the horizon is sufficiently far away and you are not on a rise or in a depression, the lens axis will point towards the horizon.

But let say that I have done it this was and in the GG I see the horizon running through the models head (The lens is placed at the same height as the models head). But what happend if I rises the back?

Will the horizon still run through her head or will that change (Naturally I know that I will see more of her feet by rising the back) ?

/ Marcus

[Doug Dolde]

I think you will only change the framing. The image itself is fixed by the height of the lens. When you move the back you don't change the image, only what part of it is within the 4x5 boundary (or whatever format you are using).

[Alan Davenport]

Once the lens is set, relative to the subject, raising the back will not change the location of the horizon. You must move the lens (front rise or fall) to get any change in the horizon's location relative to the subject.

[Andrew O'Neill]

Changing the position of the lens affects your perspective.