Which eye do you use in the viewfinder? And what hand are you?

[Sean Dempsey]

I am right handed, but my left eye is much more dominant, and I have to use it for photography.

In turn, I also rotate my camera CW to do vertical shots, so that the camera is hanging off the left side of my face, with my left eye in the viewfinder.

Not sure how a vertical grip will feel with my left eye in the viewfinder, will it be crammed on the right side of my face? haha.

What about the rest of you? Any other left eyed shooters?

[megan]

It used to be my left eye - until I had a problem with a contact lens, and have scarring on the edge of the lens which reduces the clarity of my vision - but only very slightly. Enough, though, so that I now use my right eye. Sometimes I'll still use my left eye if focus isn't an issue, like with my Holga. I'm right-handed. Are there any camera brands that make a special camera for lefties?!

Just wondering!

Megan

[ACArmstrong]

I'm right-handed and right-eyed. I was born with a paralyzed muscle in my left eye - this wasn't really discovered until I had trouble compensating for it at the age of 18 or 19. I had surgery to correct the problem, but by that point in my life, my left eye was seriously weaker than my right. If you were to cover my right eye, I'd bump into a lot of things.

I wear glasses to correct my vision. I should wear them all the time, but I only usually wear them when I read a lot or work on the computer. I NEVER wear them when I shoot photos - it just feels to wierd.

[Asylum Steve]

...kaleidoscopes, I'm LEFT EYE all the way. ;)

I don't quite know what that means, left-brain right-brain wise, as I write with my left hand, throw with my right, eat with my left, but brush my teeth with my right. I've never had a professional evaluation, but my guess is the two halves of my brain kind of fight it out, much like the Hatfields and the McCoys...

BTW, I usually use both eyes for binocs, viewmasters, periscopes, and peep shows. And for what it's worth, I can drink, punch, kick, snap fingers, shoot marbles, pick apples, plug dykes, poke eyes, point at things, flip birds, and pick my, eh, you know...equally well with either side...

I too hold my camera and shoot like Sean. I suppose early on I may have noticed how "professionals" did it and perhaps copied them to some degree, but mostly this way has always felt the most natural.

Interesting topic. I think it would feel extremely weird using my right eye to look through the viewfinder. Don't they say you should try things like that from time to time to "shake up" your brain? In my case, that might be dangerous!

[another view]

Right handed, left eyed - so was Galen Rowell . Never thought about it until a couple of years ago when I shot (as in with a gun) sporting clays. I have to shoot lefty, or actually it doesn't make much difference in my case. Let's just say that clay targets aren't an endangered species around here...

I also flip the camera CCW, for some reason I get a little bit sharper results when I have to use a slow shutter speed (as in 1/30, etc). Hey Steve, if you're up for the Chicago gathering again I'll have to check out how you do it. I must be missing something because rotating the camera CW makes more sense for slower shutter speeds - I would think you could brace the camera better.

[Spike]

Huh? LCD all the way, baby! I get to use both eyes at once.

My first 2 digicams didn't even have optical viewfinders. My latest digicam does, but I tend to forget it's there, even when I should use it due to bright sunshine making the lcd image very hard to see.

Spike

[mtbbrian]

I am a North paw/eye..

See!
This was me Saturday at the Utah Arts Fest, photographing "The Man" James McMurtry

[Asylum Steve]

I also flip the camera CCW, for some reason I get a little bit sharper results when I have to use a slow shutter speed (as in 1/30, etc). Hey Steve, if you're up for the Chicago gathering again I'll have to check out how you do it

Opps, big mistake here. I didn't read Sean's post closely enough...

For verts, I too rotate the camera CCW, cradling the camera with my left hand at the bottom, and my right hand on the shutter.

Seems to me we had this discussion not too long ago (at least with Sean), as CCW is pretty conventional for pro shooters with SLRs.

Man, now my brain is ALL mixed up...

BTW, I also throw a spear with my right arm...

[Sean Dempsey]

I forgot to mention, I also don't have stereoscopic vision, and I have glasses... haha. No stereo vision means I can't use biniculars well, can't see the Magic Eye book things, can't do alot. My depth perception leaves much to be desired.

[Mig]

Right-eyed & eared -- these are both very strong tendencies, even though I have the exact same prescription for each eye and no hearing problems. When I watch movies the person to the left of me often thinks I'm looking at them because I have a tendency to turn my head to the left and tilt it so that my right ear is towards the screen and then I watch out of the corner of my right eye. Yes, I'm a freak.

As for the rest -- right-handed, left-brained.

Danielle

[Photo-John]

Sorry for changing the subject. But I just had to say that I like Mig's current signature ;)

Just to make things right - I'm right-eyed, right-handed, and always right

[ACArmstrong]

See, Steve - that's where I differ a bit - I chuck a spear with my left hand. *LOL*

[Poobah]

Left eye that is. And when I shoot verticals I rotate the camera so my right hand is on top (sorry the whole clockwise, anticlockwise thing got me confused). Just about everything else I do with my right side. I’m right handed and right footed. I’m also right chested. The other day at soccer training we were practising controlling the ball with our chests and every time I used my right side. My right nipple didn’t appreciate it. Needless to say I’m not ambidextrous.

Cheers,

[Mig]

My right nipple didn’t appreciate it.

Bwah! You and Speed should hang out.

Danielle

[Mig]

Heh. Thanks PJ -- while I of course can't take credit, I do love my dork jokes. Thinkgeek.com is my mothership (um, besides here of course!).

and always right

That's why you're the captain!

Danielle

[Poobah]

Bwah! You and Speed should hang out.

Danielle

I, unfortunately, don’t have photos to share the occasion with you all.

Cheers

[TheFru]

Hmm, I'd never really thought about it but now that you asked, if the left eye works, if the right eye works then that's the one I use (CW or CCW). It all depends on the best angle when not using a tripod.

For what it's worth, I chew predominately on the left side. In all else I am forced to be a rightie.

[Marvol]

If the camera is horizontal, I usually use my right eye. Sometimes when I take long for a shot and there's for instance the sun against, that eye gets tired and I switch to my left eye.

When turning the camera CCW or CW doesn't seem to matter. I found two exactly the same photos bar the focus plane (one taken at inifinity, the other focused on a gate 1 m in front) that on the negatives appear to be oppositely rotated. I made those pictures within seconds from each other so...

Usually I try to get the camera in between my eyes and the main lightsource (usually the sun) to avoid me having to squint.

[Chunk]

I use both eyes in the Viewfinder...
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....but on the Critique forum....

Sorry, I just couldn't resist any longer.

[Kokopeli]

I'm also always RIGHT.

~Brian

[Charles Hess]

Right-eyed, right-handed, left eared. Shooting rangefinders, I find that I keep both eyes open, my right eye in the viewfinder. I turn the Contax & Leica CW for verticals, shutter at the bottom. Telephones...left ear only, but I don't know why. :-)

[mtbbrian]

I use both eyes in the Viewfinder...
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.
.
.
.
....but on the Critique forum....

Sorry, I just couldn't resist any longer.

FUNNY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Brian

[back_packn]

Well, I'm right handed, and right eyed...


And speaking of "dork" jokes Mig, I've always liked this one (hope you get it):


SELECT * FROM users WHERE clue > 0
No Records Found

[Kokopeli]

I'm left-eared too! Perhaps this will be the start of a subthread?

~Brian

[Mig]

Yeah I've always liked that one too. Damn users. PEBKAC!