Monocular Vision
Most of us have shared the experience of seeing a rich landscape or scene, taking a photograph, and having the results disappoint because the image didn't convey the impression that caused us to get out the camera. While there can be a number of reasons for our disappointment, one of the common causes is that the single lens of the camera records half the information that our eyes see.
We usually view the world with two eyes, or stereoscopic vision, which allows us to judge distance relationships between objects in our field of view. Furthermore, our mental computers take that double set of information and reprocess it with algorithims that create a complex set of deductions and assumptions about what we are seeing.
Closing or covering one eye allows us to see more similarly to how a camera records a photograph.
The next time you are making a photograph, check the scene with just one eye and see if it still looks just the same to you. Frame the scene with your hands and fingers and you can begin to visualize what it will look like on a two-dimensional piece of paper.
This technique is especially useful with busy or complicated scenes. Many times something will appeal to my eye as a subject, but when I examine it with one eye closed or covered I'll instantly realize that I won't be able to resolve it into a successful photograph.
If a scene passes the "one-eye" test, then I'll usually use the same technique to look at the scene from various points of view (see Work the Subject) to determine the best shot.
This technique is so important and useful to me that now I do it automatically and unconsciously whenever I'm taking photos.
All materials on this site are copyright 1992-2012 by Doug Gorsline / ashcreekimages.com
