Which eye?

Yes, I have tried the trick with a piece of card myself.
The logic for the "whited out" lens in front of the left eye is that the same amount of light gets to both eyes. With each eye feeding both sides of the brain, this is supposed to minimise cross strain.
I ended up with some fully adjustable shooting glasses - prescription lens on right side, translucent white occluder on left. In the end, I could do without them for non-important stuff (say, training demonstrations), but the need for bi-focals in normal life meant that I still needed the shooting glasses for competition.
Geoff

I'm almost ambi-dextrous possibly due to many years of woodcarving, and can write with either hand althought there's a considerable difference in the legibility.

I've never thought of it before and to be honest can't tell which of my eyes is dominant from the tests offered.

I keep both eyes open and tend to predominantly use my right eye to the camera.
As to the rear screen cameras I can't get on with those at all (combination of myopia and vari-focals means my head is tilted unconfortably back whilst holding the camera horizontal, and I can forget about pointing it skywards)

regards
Bernard

Hi,
I am right handed and right eyed but for some reason use my left eye with my camera ??

Which eye may have a profound effect upon our photography. The areas of the brain that are involved in creative thinking and logical thinking also receive primary signals from one eye or the other. The left eye, for example, is processed on the right side of the brain.

I can never remember which way round it is, but I think the creative side may be the left. Does this mean that right eyed people produce more creative images and left eyed people produce more logical, graphic design type images? (Or the other way round)

If any research has been published relating top aertists or photographers that would be Quite Interesting. Perhaps Stephen Fry would know.

Not quite right, John.
The left sides of each eye (or strictly speaking the neural impulses from the retina) both feed to an area in the right side of the brain. The right sides of each eye feed to a similar area on the left side of the brain. These two areas are parts of the Left and Right Lateral Geniculate Nuclei (or LGNs). These in turn feed their respective sides of the Visual (Striate) Cortex. And, that is the simple version.

I would speculate (because I know of no evidence) that the "creative process" is done with both eyes, prior to more precise framing with one eye to the viewfinder. Certainly, the painter's aid known as the Leonardo Window is used with both eyes.

In the context of this thread, I always use my left eye for portrait mode - because I am bracing my right hand against my nose. In landscape mode, I can - and do - use either eye (and this may depend on whether I am resting against a tree or building for support [and my MS is getting worse], or whether I am panning). Of course, with some "other makes" the viewfinder is naturally positioned for the left eye (many Rangefinder models).
Geoff

... So information on the right hand side of your vision as you see it (hitting the left side of the eye) is processed by the right side of your brain and vice versa?

I remember reading recently about a young girl who had both sides of her brain severed to control really severe epilepsy. Presumably this will have some effect on visual perception?

What a interesting thread!

The eye is only the key to the ignition - creatively what we are talking about here is the switching the artistic side of your brain on, and dulling the rational side concerned with language etc

Pool/Snooker players call it 'the zone' or 'dead stroke'. Painters recognise it as a zen state, where they may have been painting for an hour having not uttered a word with little or no awareness of time.

For some this state is easy to achieve for others seemingly impossible, perhaps just depends on how your brain is wired and your experiences/training.

As an artist (and pool player!) - this zen state is something to be cultivated, and happens to be when I feel truly at one with myself and content. (I am not a Buddhist!)

It's why I love talking photos, walking in a silent search, hunting a stillness in time

I would argue that in photography which eye (or both) you use in the viewfinder is a not that relevant, at least not until the final milliseconds of judgement before you hit the shutter. You will have decided before hand what you are looking at and what you trying to capture, the framing being the final stage to the process - or not even if you like to go home and PP.
We walk around with both eyes open discovering scenes, not with the viewfinder stuck to you face.

Know one walks around an art gallery with one eye closed........

Yes. Absolutely correct. What is to the right as you look forward is focussed onto the left side of the retina, and goes to the right side of the brain.

No. The effect is more that of not being able to describe what one is looking at. Typically, the speech centre is on the left side of the brain, and this makes a description of the left visual field (which goes to the right side) effectively impossible.

Geoff

I know this as Csíkszentmihályi's "Theory of Flow". This is sometimes described as "a deep focus on nothing but the activity". I have had it happen a few times when shooting one of the Rapid-fire pistol disciplines, and I guess that it could apply to a lot of other activities - motor racing comes to mind here.
Geoff

Very interesting stuff, thankyou for mentioning his work.

Ayrton Senna : "I was already on pole, [...] and I just kept going. Suddenly I was nearly two seconds faster than anybody else, including my team mate with the same car. And suddenly I realised that I was no longer driving the car consciously. I was driving it by a kind of instinct, only I was in a different dimension. It was like I was in a tunnel."


Eddie Felson (The Huslter) : It's a great feeling, boy, it's a real great feeling when you're right, and you know you're right. It's like all of a sudden I got oil in my arm. Pool cue's part of me. You know, it's a -- pool cue's got nerves in it. It's a piece of wood -- it's got nerves in it. You feel the roll of those balls.You don't have to look. You just know

Photography wise perhaps swapping eyes now and again is good thing. In pool you can try warming up by playing with your wrong hand in an attempt to switch on the other side of your brain and instigate the FLOW. Or another one I like is to relax a remember the feeling of an ordaniary routine task - e.g walking up to your front door and turning the knob, (importantly try to 'feel' in your mind the texture of door knob and the 'feel' of the strenght required to turn it)

Might be worth a try next time your shooting!

I suppose this is true of any activity. I remember my son actually went deaf when playing computer games in his teens.
I've lost hours before now absorbed in a book.

What's this got to do with eye preference though?

By using only one eye we are translating our 3D world into a 2D image, and then limiting the field of view by looking through a viewfinder.

Bernard

I guess that the first point is whether one thinks "Which eye shall I use for this shot?", or simply sees a potentially good picture, brings up the camera and takes the shot.
Second, by printing, or projecting or just putting on screen, we present that part of a 3D world that we have rendered as a 2D image.
Third, (and go back up the thread a bit) with both eyes open we do not alter our view of a tiny piece of the world - the viewfinder just aids us in composing the picture.
Fourth, closing one eye does not suddenly give us a 2D world. Depth perception depends on a lot more than binocular vision - which is only effective over about fifty feet (or thereabouts - depending on who you take as an authority).
Geoff

As my viewfinder is on the left of my K5 I find i more comfortable to use my Left eye, it just seems automatic.

Years ago, I bought a left handed peeler to help bring out my artistic side. I'm not sure if I'm any more artistic than I was but I can only peel carrots left handed now.

LOL