What's your trick/tip to keep the lines horizontal/vertical?

Fatih Ayoglu · May 4, 2023

So assuming my subject line is not clear, time to time I have difficulty to make sure my horizon line is really horizontal and building are vertical. So what do you do to make sure the lines are correct? How do I make sure my easel is correctly aligned with those lines?

Cheers, Fatih

ic-racer · May 4, 2023

I crank the upper blade down to the horizon and adjust the easel. The put the blade back to its original position.

jimjm · May 4, 2023

For focusing, I place a sheet of scrapped enlarging paper in the easel, back side up. I usually draw several lines across the paper in both directions and use those to help orient verticals and horzontals in the image.

warden · May 4, 2023

I mostly use the Jimjm method but the ic-racer method sounds good too.

BobUK · May 4, 2023

Stay teetotal.

PicklesFrog · May 12, 2023

i fitted my easel with thin tape in a tic tac toe formation, then i use wooden planks to move my easel from there.

Pieter12 · May 12, 2023

Graph paper

Sirius Glass · May 12, 2023

ic-racer said:
I crank the upper blade down to the horizon and adjust the easel. The put the blade back to its original position.

I too use the easel blades for horizontal and vertical alignment when needed.

Doremus Scudder · May 13, 2023

All of the above are good.

And, your eye is really good at assessing this as well. If a test print looks skewed, then correct. Usually you'll have a couple of chances to get it right before arriving at the right exposure, contrast and manipulation scheme anyway.

Doremus

Nicholas Lindan · May 13, 2023

Draftsman's triangle, position against the masking blade to the side. I keep one hanging on the wall in the darkroom.

A Local Contractor Reminded Me How Useful Drafting Triangles Could Be

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But I find my eye's are plenty good enough when making prints. I do, however, have trouble keeping the horizon horizontal when taking slides so my cameras are equiped with gridded screens (Nikon E-Screens).

David Brown · May 13, 2023

Pieter12 said:
Graph paper

Me, too. I make my own, with 1/2" squares. But that's the general idea. The paper also serves the purpose of setting the easel blades for various cropping/aspect ratios.

Sirius Glass · May 13, 2023

Draw a grid on the easel and line up the negative without paper in the easel first.

Fatih Ayoglu · May 14, 2023

Thank you all. Easel blades were my plan to use but then graph paper idea came. I was searching for an adhesive option and then found transfer paper on Amazon, bought a roll and tried. The result is not too bad.

What's your trick/tip to keep the lines horizontal/vertical?

Fatih Ayoglu

ic-racer

jimjm

warden

BobUK

PicklesFrog

Pieter12

Sirius Glass

Doremus Scudder

Nicholas Lindan

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A Local Contractor Reminded Me How Useful Drafting Triangles Could Be

David Brown

Sirius Glass

Fatih Ayoglu

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