Call me old-fashioned but I like level horizons. Black blacks. Highlights with just a touch of retained detail. Guess I'm complaining...I see so many pictures on this, our site with washed out blacks, blown out highlights, and canted horizons. To me it's photography 101. I could go on, but I won't!
(forgive my rant and complaining)
For myself, I would agree with you. My work is traditional. However, those rules can be broken, if you are aware you are breaking them, for your own photographic style. I think the unintentional tipped horizon, especial with a body of water, can look really bad. Also, if I know that the shot could have had more detail in the highlights and shadows, I find myself thinking about how much better the image could be.
That being said there are many photographers that have developed a dynamic rough style. Contrasty, grainy, edgy portrait work can be engaging and add a lot to an image.
I think it is important for beginners to learn the basics, then go out and experiment. Find out why tonality and frame are important. Why do you want the the camera tipped? How does it benefit the images message? Why do you want the tones high or low? What effect does it have on the viewer? It comes down to intent, in my book. Is it someone experimenting with the limits, or is it just a mistake. Sometimes mistakes can be cool, but I hope that I learn something from them so I can repeat it in the future.
My two cents