A simple trick to find out which of your eyes is dominant

[RobbieKB]

This is a bit of a weird one! Or at least, I'd never heard of it. Apparently, to find out which of your eyes is dominant you do as follows:

Article said:

One tip that instructors often pass onto the beginning photographers is to use their dominant eye (i.e. the eye they prefer seeing with) to look through the viewfinder. If you want to find out which of your eyes is the dominant one, here’s a quick test you can do: extend your arms straight out and form a small triangle with your hands. Looking through the triangle with both eyes open, frame something nearby (e.g. a doorknob) and place it in the center of the triangle. Then close your eyes one at a time without moving the triangle — your dominant eye is the one that placed the object in the center.

I just tested it on a few small object around the room I'm in and my right eye keeps the object dead centre but my left eye on its own can't even see the object as it becomes obstructed by my hand!

So come on then, is anyone using the 'wrong' eye?

[pwrc]

equally off center in each eye. i can't work out if that's good or bad but i photograph just fine with my right eye.

what's more wierd is how that photograph was taken!

[coxyuk]

Perhaps overly simplistic but I found raising a camera to my eye identified the dominant eye. The dominant one was looking through the viewfinder. Maybe I've been doing photography for too many years lol.

[Whitefly Swatter]

pwrc said:

equally off center in each eye. i can't work out if that's good or bad but i photograph just fine with my right eye.

what's more wierd is how that photograph was taken!

tripod with release in mouth - easy

[With these feet]

Theres an easier one thsn that, point at something straight ahead with both eyes open. Then shut each eye (with the other one open stupid!) Your dominant eye is the one that keeps pointing at the object you aimed at.

I had an injury to my right eye as a kid at school. Had a few operations and had a contact lens to partially correct it.
I had a go at clay shooting a several years ago and could hit more than I'd miss, MiL bought us some lessons as a present.
Went along and instructor asked me which eye was dominant. I said my right (though poor vision) so they did the above test.
Turns out Im dominant left, so had to learn how to shoot left handed! After a few hours I was better than shooting right handed. (Just)

[racing green]

This is a standard test in archery lessons and my wife found that her left eye is dominant despite being right handed. I have no such worries as I am totally dominant on the left side for everything. Has anyone tried purposefully taking photos using their 'lesser' eye?

[Luca Brazzi]

Always been happy shooting with either eye. And the one not looking through the viewfinder is always open anyway to make sure I see the peripheral area as well. It's harder when you use a long lens, but you soon learn to see the whole picture with one eye and the the magnified area with the other. Just takes a little practice

[Otispunkmeyer]

Left eyed, right handed at everything else... Left eye lines things up smack bang in the centre. Weird because I never ever thought of it like that, I always just used that eye because it just felt less awkward when holding a camera to my face. Ie I felt like I could move better while keeping that eye firmly glued to the finder, can't with the right. Trying with my right eye now feels physically wrong, like the camera doesn't fit that side of my face.

[Famous Graham]

RobbieKB said:

but my left eye on its own can't even see the object as it becomes obstructed by my hand!

Same for me

[Iang84]

pwrc said:

equally off center in each eye. i can't work out if that's good or bad

I use my left eye when taking pictures

[Irrotational]

I can only close my right eye - but it is the dominant one...doh!!

[722Adam]

Right handed, right eye here; it just feels, right really, more natural. Tried using my left eye and couldn't get on with it at all.

[LeighW]

RobbieKB said:

So come on then, is anyone using the 'wrong' eye?

Yep, me! I'm right handed, always use my right eye for taking shots, but it looks like I'm left eye dominant. Explains the standard of my photographs...

[robsco]

With these feet said:

Theres an easier one thsn that, point at something straight ahead with both eyes open. Then shut each eye (with the other one open stupid!) Your dominant eye is the one that keeps pointing at the object you aimed at.

That doesn't make sense to me. Using the first test shows my left eye as dominant, using your test shows it being my right eye.

[Stiglet80]

Phew both tests give me the left eye which is the one I use.

[coxyuk]

LeighW said:

RobbieKB said:

So come on then, is anyone using the 'wrong' eye?

Yep, me! I'm right handed, always use my right eye for taking shots, but it looks like I'm left eye dominant. Explains the standard of my photographs...

I'm obviously missing something, if your left eye is dominant why wasn't it dominant enough for you to naturally use it when taking photographs? I can understand folks having use of both eyes in the same way some are ambidextrous but, for me, using the other eye is just as unnatural as putting the phone to my right ear or writing with my left hand (yes, I'm left eyed, left eared and right handed lol).

[LeighW]

coxyuk said:

LeighW said:

RobbieKB said:

So come on then, is anyone using the 'wrong' eye?

Yep, me! I'm right handed, always use my right eye for taking shots, but it looks like I'm left eye dominant. Explains the standard of my photographs...

I'm obviously missing something, if your left eye is dominant why wasn't it dominant enough for you to naturally use it when taking photographs? I can understand folks having use of both eyes in the same way some are ambidextrous but, for me, using the other eye is just as unnatural as putting the phone to my right ear or writing with my left hand (yes, I'm left eyed, left eared and right handed lol).

I had no idea until I tried this test, that's why, and to be fair there isn't a huge amount in it. I'm very right handed, holding the camera up to my right eye just seems natural to me. I'll get the camera out at the weekend and try the left eye - I think it might seem awkward though, but we'll see.

[Iang84]

Its strange how people get on with stuff I'm left handed and do most things right handed ie shooting, abseiling, kayaking but even though I shoot rifles right handed I cant use my right eye for taking pictures

[size13]

I'm right handed, and using this test seems my right eye is dominant but I use my left eye on the viewfinder. But, I sometimes shoot with both eyes open, left eye looking through the viewfinder and right eye just checking whats going on outside the viewfinder!