Shooting Technique - Right Eye, Left Eye, Open or Shut

This is one of those goofy things I think about, and I'm wondering how you shoot...

Do you look through the eyepiece with your right or left eye? And do you keep your other eye open?

I saw someone shooting yesterday with a nice new 7D. She was shooting portrait, looking through the viewfinder with her left eye, kept her right eye open, and had live view on. SO her right eye was looking right at a screen less than 1/4 inch from her eye, which almost gave ME a headache. But it made me wonder, why is she doing that? As I said, it is goofy, but I have not been able to stop thinking about it, so now I must ask... How do you shoot and why?

Look through with my right eye and left eye is closed

Same thread topic has been much discussed in the past (Do 'Search'). If you are merely shooting snapshots, it really does not matter. If you are standing on the sidelines of a field shooting as a pro, it can matter very much!

The optimum for shooting sports, when you might be run over by an athlete, is right eye aim with left eye open. Your left eye can 'see around' the prism housing and short end of the body, when you right eye is at the eyepiece. Your right eye cannot 'see around' the prism housing and long end of the body, when you left eye is at the eyepiece.

Take it from me, who shot high school football with a large press camera (sheet film) as a member of the school newspaper photography staff, where my left eye could not see around the camera body...and one player bowled me head over heels!

That is goofy.

I do a combo of all of them, myself. Mostly right eye, left closed, but depending on the location and circumstances, I often shoot with my left eye and right eye open..., or with liveview. However, I never put my eye that close when in liveview, not sure how that would help.

I used my left eye in the viewfinder exclusively up until last week. Now currently trying to use my right eye.

I'm left eye dominant, but right handed. I always look through the viewfinder with my left eye, but keep my right open. I don't close my right eye any more because it messes up my sight when I'm not shooting.

SoccerRef wrote in post #9474264
This is one of those goofy things I think about, and I'm wondering how you shoot...

Do you look through the eyepiece with your right or left eye? And do you keep your other eye open?

I saw someone shooting yesterday with a nice new 7D. She was shooting portrait, looking through the viewfinder with her left eye, kept her right eye open, and had live view on. SO her right eye was looking right at a screen less than 1/4 inch from her eye, which almost gave ME a headache. But it made me wonder, why is she doing that? As I said, it is goofy, but I have not been able to stop thinking about it, so now I must ask... How do you shoot and why?

Now that would be uncomfortable at least. Not least trying to focus on 2 different images at different distances.

Im definately a right eyed shooter (except for live view where i use both but well away from the screen!)

I'm right handed but always shoot with my left eye, many times with my right eye open just so I can be aware of my surroundings in the street. Just now I tried my right eye and that feels so unnatural, I don't see how you guys do it.

I'm like Todd and do a combo of left and right eye both closed and open depending on the situation. Never use live view that close though... I would imagine it to be quite annoying.

Tracon wrote in post #9474722
I'm right handed but always shoot with my left eye, many times with my right eye open just so I can be aware of my surroundings in the street. Just now I tried my right eye and that feels so unnatural, I don't see how you guys do it.

It is probably down to what we learned initially - any change would feel unusual.

I tried rifle shooting a while back (before I started the other shooting ) so right eye is more natural for me (eye line for a right handed rifle shooter is right side).

Tracon wrote in post #9474722
I'm right handed but always shoot with my left eye, many times with my right eye open just so I can be aware of my surroundings in the street. Just now I tried my right eye and that feels so unnatural, I don't see how you guys do it.

Those who have had military service LEARN to do it. If you have hot brass cartridges being ejected out to the right, you learn to position the rifle and aim with your right eye so that hot shells are not ejected into your shirt at the rate of 600 rounds/minute!!!

CalPiker wrote in post #9474631
I'm left eye dominant, but right handed. I always look through the viewfinder with my left eye, but keep my right open. I don't close my right eye any more because it messes up my sight when I'm not shooting.

I too always use my left eye in the viewfinder and usually close my right eye. But if I do lots of shooting, when I finally open my right eye it is blurry for a while. I have tried leaving it open but it feels weird to me.

Right Eyed - but shoot with both open.

Almost never use live view.

Right eye, but do use the left if I'm trying to do that left shoulder stabilizing technique.

In either case I keep both eyes open to see what else is happening and to hopefully stave off the worst of the wrinkles!

My head is quite small so my other eyeball barely makes it past the edge of the camera anyway so I don't find having one eye open much of a distraction from the viewfinder!

Used to shoot exclusively right eye with left eye open about 30% of the time. Last month switched to left eye with right eye open (since it can't see anything anyway but black housing) since I find it easier to hold heavy lenses with left eye use.