Can the verticals in my brain be off...?

Not sure if this is common, but I have noticed that when I shoot handheld, regardless of body, lens or subject... I seem to never get my camera level... I'm always too low on the left... Wonder if it's an internal balance thing I am experiencing, or if others have a similar issue...

is your left leg shorter than your right?

tommayor wrote in post #12522178
is your left leg shorter than your right?

That would be the simple answer... but, no...

When I take a shot, I think to myself "My camera is straight"... then in LR or PS, I need to rotate a few degrees, about 90% of the time...

Mine always tilt slightly to the left as well. Think its just one of those things about overly high intelligence... you know like if you talk to yourself lol

Vmann wrote in post #12522203
Mine always tilt slightly to the left as well. Think its just one of those things about overly high intelligence... you know like if you talk to yourself lol

Maybe that's it... I probably have a lot more empty space on the right side...

Humans are crap at guessing perfectly straight lines and angles. That's why we invented tools to help us.

Hi Mike - understand where you're coming from.....I'm usually off about 2 degrees from level.

Whew....!!! Glad I'm not the only one...

tkbslc wrote in post #12522310
Humans are crap at guessing perfectly straight lines and angles. That's why we invented tools to help us.

That's actually not quite accurate. In the laboratory humans can see whether a line is horizontal within ±0.5° of rotation. For reference, one minute after 12 o'clock is the equivalent of 6°, so humans can accurately discriminate about 1/10 of this angle. This is why it is so frustrating trying to hang a photo perfectly horizontally on the wall: you can almost always see that it is not perfectly level.

That said, it is true that virtually all of us to shoot photos that deviate from horizontal or vertical by several degrees. The reason is that the photographer is generally concentrating on the overall composition, expression on the subject's face, etc. Hence, larger errors in leveling the camera are not noticed as effectively.

Yup, I tend to be off a bit to one side or the other, too. You're not alone Using the grid overlay in the VF, on the 7D, is a big help for me.

It takes a little discipline and practice to get your verticals vertical, and your horizons horizontal..

When I landed my first fulltime job in photography all those years ago, my boss and mentor put me onto something which I still do today. He told me to look around the edges of the viewfinder and to learn to "see" square (or rectangularly)..

HughR wrote in post #12522407
That's actually not quite accurate. In the laboratory humans can see whether a line is horizontal within ±0.5° of rotation. For reference, one minute after 12 o'clock is the equivalent of 6°, so humans can accurately discriminate about 1/10 of this angle. This is why it is so frustrating trying to hang a photo perfectly horizontally on the wall: you can almost always see that it is not perfectly level.

With a point of reference we know to be level, yes we can easily match it. But as someone who has worked in the construction industry, I can tell you that without bubble levels, squares, chalk lines, and string, you would not want to try and build a straight wall. I would love to see a brick wall done without string and a level.

HughR wrote in post #12522407
...This is why it is so frustrating trying to hang a photo perfectly horizontally on the wall: you can almost always see that it is not perfectly level...

This, frequently, might be because of:

tkbslc wrote in post #12522555
...that without bubble levels, squares, chalk lines, and string, you would not want to try and build a straight wall. I would love to see a brick wall done without string and a level.

Most cameras are designed for the right handed. The shutter button and dials on the right side of the camera body. But then, the eye you focus with while looking through the view finder might also have something to do with it.
Because I have an astigmatism in my right eye I typically use my left eye and tend tilt the right side of the camera up away from my nose a little. Not always aware of doing that, if I don't tilt my head slightly to compensate I get tilted horizons. Thankfully PS makes it easy to straighten.

Stu...is that the same thing as my being accused of being two degrees off plumb?