Camera Angles and Horizon Line

The Relationship Between Camera Angle and Background

Varieties of Camera Angles

We can choose any camera angle, but once the choice is made, the background must fit our choice. Our choice of camera angle determines how the background will appear in our scene.

In 2pt-perspective, the placement of vanishing points depends of the rotation of the object being drawn. In the example below, the vanishing points move as the table rotates. The position of vanishing points must always fit the 90 degree corner of the table.

Ideally, in a 2pt-perspective scene, both vanishing points should be placed outside the picture frame. You can keep one VP inside the picture frame, provided you move the other VP much further away. If you keep this in mind, your 2pt perspective drawings will look more natural and avoid distortion.

A 2pt-perspective setup can be rotated perpendicular to the horizon, in order to create an upshot or down shot. This is called "2pt-vertical perspective." In the examples below, I applied 2pt-vertical perspective with tilted frames to create compositions with tilting horizons (in filmmaking, this is known as a "Dutch Angle").

In dealing with inclined planes, the actual horizon is always even with our own eye level (or camera level), but the vanishing point for an inclined plane will be above or below the horizon. In the examples below, the street converges to a vanishing point above or below the actual horizon, depending on if we drive uphill or downhill.

A drawing may have multiple vanishing points, depending on the rotations of individual objects. For example, a series of boxes could be rotated so that each box has its own set of vanishing points. 

You can use as many vanishing points as you need to cover all the objects in your environment.