I am right handed and shoot with my right eye. I can't even wink my right eye and look through my left. It is probably a good thing too. I went to the eye doctor this week and even corrected my right eye has considerably better vision than my left eye. For me it would be pretty much impossible to shoot looking through the viewfinder with my left eye.
I used to shoot left eye and I'm also left-handed. I always had trouble shooting left eyed because my nose and right thumb were competing for the same piece of real estate on the back of an OM-1. I eventually learnt to shoot right eyed and now I don't really have a dominant eye. A television camera can really only be used comfortably with the right eye. Shooting left eye is possible but not easy.
My father has a special surveyor's prism which, when you look into it, reflects your dominant eye. I get one or the other but no clearly dominant eye. I can still shoot left eye if I want to.
Funny I use to shoot with right eye I am right handed but I have been having troubles with my right eye so now use my left. It was awkward at first but now it feels so natural and a short time ago I tried shooting with my right eye and went right back to my left eye it felt awkward using my right
Let's see, the left hand's busy with complex fingering so the index finger of the bow arm works the shutter while the right eye looks for music in the viewfinder and the left eye stays open for a fuzzy peripheral view of the orchestra conductor.
Uh huh, right handed and right eye dominant, but definitely not in my right mind.
Right handed will naturally close right eye, because muscles on the right part of your body are dominant (arm, palm, foot, leg). Hence closing your right eyelid is more natural, just like when you wink someone.
Look at the way a camera is designed. Majority of the any population in the world is right handed, that's why the viewfinder and lens mount are placed towards your LEFT eye, if you look through it with your right eye, your face would pop/show if looked at from the front of the camera.
As for archery, RIGHT handers will hold the bow with their LEFT hand, because all it needs to do is keep straight, whilst aiming and loading are done with their dominant RIGHT hand which decides the tautness and direction, directly translating to inital velocity and accuracy respectively.
So I'm kinda surprised by right handers that shoot with right eye really, but I guess whatever works for the shot.
Emile Gregoire wrote:
Christ, Tim, I'm starting to doubt my photography thanks to your explanation. Right-handed, shooting a gun with right eye, right eye dominant according to your army test, BUT looking through a viewfinder with my left eye. I've tried a few times looking with my right eye though the viewfinder but I guess I'm spoilt forever - it just doesn't click.
Glad to see I'm not alone though with my quirks as eos-m42guy has the same "problem". Anyone else care to join the club?
I'll help you out here Emile...
THIS ISN'T ABOUT LEFT- OR RIGHT HANDEDNESS
Sorry Had to get that off my chest.
It is in fact about left- or right footedness. Why? Read on...
It has to do with body stance. The terminology comes from boarding, be it snow-, surf- or skateboarding. If you're "regular" it means you put your left foot in front on a board. If you take a stable stance to take a shot, you do the same, left foot in front. The opposite is called "goofy" among boarders, when you put your right foot in front first.
The foot you use to kick a ball with is usually your back foot. So your dominant foot dictates which leg you put in front if you take a stable stance.
If you take a regular stance, it puts your left foot in front. The rest of your body follows. Left hip, left shoulder, left arm are all ahead of your right side. This means your camera isn't directly in front of you, but it sits to your left, in relation to your upper body. Using your left eye is a much easier fit, your head doesn't have to rotate as much as you'd have to do with your right eye.
So, I'm right handed, right footed, regular stance, right eye dominant, and I put my left eye to the viewfinder. Why? Because that's the best fit.
For me right handed and either eye really, although as my sight deteriorates with age they see different colours, the left being marginally more accurate!
I'm right handed, and until about 2 or 3 months ago, I shot with my right eye on the view finder. Then I tried using my left eye, and ever since I use my left eye when I shoot.
I don't know, I just feel that using my left eye is more comfortable ... maybe because when I shot I always stand with my left foot at the front, and with left eye on the finder, I can keep my right eye open.
Tentacle - I do all those things you mention, and still use my right eye on the viewfinder because I'm right eye dominant, and using my left is harder anyway, due to smashing my nose into the back, etc. I always shoot with my glasses on too, so the eyecup needs to be pressed to them.
Jman13 wrote:
[...] I always shoot with my glasses on too, so the eyecup needs to be pressed to them.
That can make quite a difference, having to push your glasses against the eyecup. That puts the camera parallel to your glasses, which is different from no glasses, when you can angle the camera more freely. (And that creates more room for your nose too.)
dhphoto wrote:
For me right handed and either eye really, although as my sight deteriorates with age they see different colours, the left being marginally more accurate!
Patrick Cox wrote:
Wow, I didn't realize so many people shot with their left eye through the viewfinder.
Well, don't forget that if you do use your left eye, your right eye doesn't have to be shut as it's blocked out by the camera body, which is often more comfortable than long periods with an eye closed.
It is in fact about left- or right footedness. Why? Read on...
It has to do with body stance. The terminology comes from boarding, be it snow-, surf- or skateboarding. If you're "regular" it means you put your left foot in front on a board. If you take a stable stance to take a shot, you do the same, left foot in front. The opposite is called "goofy" among boarders, when you put your right foot in front first.
The foot you use to kick a ball with is usually your back foot. So your dominant foot dictates which leg you put in front if you take a stable stance.
If you take a regular stance, it puts your left foot in front. The rest of your body follows. Left hip, left shoulder, left arm are all ahead of your right side. This means your camera isn't directly in front of you, but it sits to your left, in relation to your upper body. Using your left eye is a much easier fit, your head doesn't have to rotate as much as you'd have to do with your right eye.
So, I'm right handed, right footed, regular stance, right eye dominant, and I put my left eye to the viewfinder. Why? Because that's the best fit. ...Show more →
Right hand, right eye, left foot....Dang, now not only am I taking pictures wrong, but I can't ride a skateboard either!
