Shooting with both eyes open...

  • Thread starter Thread starter paul cull-pearce
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paul cull-pearce

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Shooting with both eyes open...:eek:

I found myself shooting with both eyes open lately. I feel like it helps me to follow the rest of the action with my right eye when my left is focused on my frame.

I was taking to another photographer about the same subject over the weekend and he was saying... That keeping both eyes open helps in staying less "tired". You have to force the eye closed, expending stress and energy on the closed eye...Well I didnt know that !

Does anyone else watch their surrounding while their focused with their other eye ?

Paul
 
Suppose that makes sense about being tired.
I occasionally shoot with both eyes open sometimes, it wholly depends on the subject though.

I do find it harder to frame the shot this way though.
 
yeh i do sometimes espec when doing macro n trying to home in on a bug, usually shut an eye to get the focus good tho (then go and ruin it with hand shake lol)
 
I shoot with both eyes shut.
 
lol Steve! I find I tend to do stills with one eye open, video with two (and I meen on a camera with a propper view finder, not a flip out screen - using one eye for that would be plain odd! :p )
 
Same thing applies when shooting (rifles) if you look at sports shooters they often have a shield or patch over one eye so they can keep it open without distraction.
 
I find it hard enough remembering to breathe when concentrating on a shot without thinking about what the other eye is seeing!

I'll give the open eye thing a go though as it does get tiring when you are chasing an ant with extreme macro magnification :)
 
I will do if I'm waiting for something round a blind corner or jump, definitely sems to help.
 
I keep both eyes open when I'm hovering over the viewfinder for ages in waiting mode. It's definitely less tiring.
 
Both eyes open here, had to learn to shoot with both eye's open on my sniper training course, its kinda followed me on to the camera side off things.
 
Interesting idea, never even considered it but definately going to give it a go :)
 
CT said:
I keep both eyes open when I'm hovering over the viewfinder for ages in waiting mode. It's definitely less tiring.
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Ditto, usually for motor racing or wildlife stuff. I find it quite hard having both eyes open when framing the shot through viewfinder, so haven't really given it much of a go, but perhaps will try it, as I do find my face aching a little after a few hours out with the camera.
 
Yes, in fact I was doing this just today whilst watching the Red Arrows. Eye through the viewfinder keeping track of the half the synchro pair coming in from the right whilst the other could pick up on the other half coming in from the left. It's odd - imagine trying to explain to a non-tog - they'd think you'd mastered the art of using both eyes independantly! (Now that'd be a handy trick!). I use it a fair bit at speedway too although most often when I'm working from the terraces and the race is a bit spread out.
 
I always thought people who shoot with both eyes open are just making sure the camera isn't distorting space & time, and that what they're seeing is real!
 
russdaz said:
Both eyes open here, had to learn to shoot with both eye's open on my sniper training course, its kinda followed me on to the camera side off things.
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why do u have to learn that? surely the scope is way zoomed in more than your eye? and dont u have a spotter who can be your other eyes?
 
I shoot with both eyes open on two occassions. One sports and two portraits. With sports I can track movement better and usually get a better frame (not sure why this is. :shrug:). With portraits I look for "untidy" areas like hands in wrong positions, eyes looking in correct direction when shooting groups, etc.
 
MrEd said:
why do u have to learn that? surely the scope is way zoomed in more than your eye? and dont u have a spotter who can be your other eyes?
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Depends on the range your shooting,could be like using a 600mm camera lens it is weird tho at first. but your not alway shooting from massive range, and whos to say a spotter (if you have one) isnt looking through binoculars and dosnt see the guy creeping up infront of you
 
Shame my Canon won't take a rail for a Kobra (a Russian collimator sight)... works a treat on everything else :D
 
russdaz said:
Depends on the range your shooting,could be like using a 600mm camera lens it is weird tho at first. but your not alway shooting from massive range, and whos to say a spotter (if you have one) isnt looking through binoculars and dosnt see the guy creeping up infront of you
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arr right ok, i just wondered lol, im basing all my thoughts on war films haha and shooting a .22 loved that but couldnt use both eyes tho, shot an sa80/lsw aswell with a scope but cant imagine using both eyes tho.... would be weird!

and yeh he might be getting a few quick zzzz'z with his face resting on the scope haha!

cheers dude dont shoot me.......
 
Seamen have been doing it for years. (Hmmmmmmm-maybe a joke there-Janice?????) Anyway using a telescope correctly involves having both eyes open to enable the viewer to find the subject a long way off when it is very small. The view down an old telescope was very narrow and there is a lot of water out there. Always makes me chuckle to see an actor with glass to his/her right eye and their left hand in front of what should be an open left eye. Damn clever these actor chappies.
 
Sharkey said:
Seamen have been doing it for years. (Hmmmmmmm-maybe a joke there-Janice?????) Anyway using a telescope correctly involves having both eyes open to enable the viewer to find the subject a long way off when it is very small. The view down an old telescope was very narrow and there is a lot of water out there. Always makes me chuckle to see an actor with glass to his/her right eye and their left hand in front of what should be an open left eye. Damn clever these actor chappies.
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Didn't know that !!! learn something new everyday.
 
Always been shooting with both eyes open

Comes from many years of combat pistol shooting I suppose:shrug:

Then I also have the "problem" in that I am right handed but my left eye is the dominant one - try shooting a rifle that way...:bang:

:D
 
Anton Roland said:
Then I also have the "problem" in that I am right handed but my left eye is the dominant one - try shooting a rifle that way...:bang:

:D
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LOL. Or a shotgun. It can be done but it gets expensive having the stock bent like a boomerang. I used to shoot with a guy who was like that and we used to pull his leg about his 'orthopaedic gun' :D
 
I find myself shooting with both eyes open when taking pictures at rallys, esp when shooting in fairly high-risk area's! I do find framing the shot harder when doing this, I do it more often when using wide angles.
 
It's something i only started doing recently and following the purchase of the EOS 3 - the eye focussing system is a little tricky to get used to and only seems to work properly for me when i have both eyes open :) Must look very odd from the other side of the camera.

Anyway - now practiced it feels quite natural except when manually focussing

PS, for the benefit of PaulBoy, Grendel, Bubbs, Rwotton, Hypnotic and Minimeeze make that 'more odd than normal'.

:D
 
CT said:
LOL. Or a shotgun. It can be done but it gets expensive having the stock bent like a boomerang. I used to shoot with a guy who was like that and we used to pull his leg about his 'orthopaedic gun' :D
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That is why I shoot pistol!!

At least one eye can watch where you run while you take out the bad guys:lol:
 
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