Turn On the Grid and Use the Rule of Thirds

Almost every phone and camera can overlay a grid of two horizontal and two vertical lines. Placing the subject on one of those lines or where they cross, rather than dead centre, usually gives a picture more movement and room to breathe; putting the horizon on the upper or lower line stops a landscape feeling split in half. The grid also makes a tilted horizon impossible to miss. Treat it as a starting habit, not a law: a symmetrical building or a face looking straight at you can sit perfectly well in the middle. Exercise: switch the grid on today and leave it on. Photograph the same view three times with the horizon low, central and high, and decide which you prefer.