Do you know which is your dominant eye and how it influences the way you take pictures? find out

Today I will talk to you about something that normally nobody talks about or few people take into account. This is the dominant eye, which is usually the one you look through the viewfinder with to take your photos. Could you tell me right now, without thinking too much, with which eye it is with which you look? Surely you will have to think about it a bit because it is something that we are not usually aware of. However, it can be an issue that affects our ergonomics and comfort when shooting. Do you want to stay and discover it?

What is the dominant eye?

The first thing is to situate ourselves. What does dominant eye mean? The dominant eye is the one with the greatest visual acuity and, in addition, controls depth. The other will take care of peripheral and spatial vision. The sum of both information is what allows us a three-dimensional vision.

Knowing which is your dominant eye can also help you in other moments or situations, for example, when looking through a microscope, playing bowling, archery, etc.

How does it affect photography?

If your dominant eye is the right one, when looking through the viewfinder with it you may not notice anything unusual. However, if it is the left one, you will find times when your nose will get in the way, for example, when using the buttons or wheels on the back of the camera. I often wondered why when I saw other people taking photos everything seemed so easy to me and when I shot I looked a bit like a duck, it was a bit unsightly and uncomfortable. And it seemed like I was hiding behind the camera.

Then I discovered this dominant eye thing and felt less clumsy, there was an explanation and that reassured me. At the same time it helped me. It will also depend on the type of camera you use, where the manual controls are, etc. I speak from my experience ;).

And the thing is that unwittingly, as no one tells you which eye to look through (this doesn’t usually come in the instruction manual either 😉 ), your eye dominant it usually appropriates the viewfinder, although not always. Sometimes first and sometimes little by little. And it happens unconsciously. Surely you don’t even remember how you started looking through that eye, right?

Check which is your dominant eye

Do you want to know which is your dominant eye? There are several ways, I tell you two:

  1. Locate an object that is about two meters away. Point to it with your index finger. Now close one eye and see if the finger is still pointing at the object or is displaced. Then he winks the other eye. The eye you have open when your finger is still pointing at the object is the dominant one.
  2. This is not suitable for those who cannot wink with both eyes (like yours truly who only knows how to wink the right one). She stretches out your arms and forms a triangle with the thumbs and forefingers of both hands. Frame a subject through that triangle that is at least two meters away. First he winks. Then the other. The eye that you have open while the subject is still framed will be the dominant one.

You can repeat the exercise as many times as you want, you will see how the same thing always happens ;).

Left or right handed?

Although you may think so, it has nothing to do with whether you are left-handed so that your dominant eye is the right or the left. I am right-handed myself, and yet my dominant eye is the left. Sometimes it matches and sometimes it doesn’t. The odds are high, 50% ;).

Solution

If it doesn’t cause you any problem or inconvenience and being the left or the right your dominant eye, you shoot comfortably, then you don’t have to solve anything. But if it happens to you like me who fought with my nose and buttons, there is an easy solution, easy: look with the right side keeping both eyes open. The right looks through the viewfinder, the open left controls the entire scene. Yes, it requires a bit of training, but when you get the hang of it you’ll see the advantages and most likely you won’t want to shoot with your left hand anymore ;).

There are also those who use a grip or grip for greater comfort or who finds your ideal camera, with the buttons right where you need them. In the end, the most important thing is that you find your most comfortable way to shoot. It may seem silly but it is not. Comfort when taking photos is a decisive factor. If you are distracted by small details that should not be relevant, you can get lost from the main objective, the photo, a good composition, focus well and capture the right moment. That is why it is important that you find your comfort and that nothing distracts you when capturing photographs.

If you have found it useful or you think you know someone who might be interested in this information, please share it on your favorite social networks, someone will surely appreciate it.

Thank you and see you soon!