Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/01/25

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Re: Noctilux vs Those "Other" lenses
From: Martin Howard <howard.390@osu.edu>
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2001 20:33:47 -0500

Ted Grant jotted down the following:

> I have to tell you, you might consider yourself lucky to have had 20/20 at
> all, as I've road through life as a one eyed monster, left only and a pain
> in the ass for years using an M or any other Leica until the good Mr. Tom
> came up with his magical RapidWinder!  So 20/20 is a luxury I have never had
> the good fortune to have. And I very much envy you.

I'm not sure that's necessarily an asset in photography.  I've noticed
lately that a number of really good photographers have pretty crappy eyes.
And I've also noticed that a number of them are left-eyed shooters.  My own
take on this is that you take stronger pictures if the compositional
elements in them have to be larger for you to notice.  If you don't see the
teeeney little details until you've made an 8x10 print, then the (big)
important compositional details are going to be the ones you pay attention
to (by default) when you take the pictures.  Which results in stronger
pictures.

My own pictures with the squinty Leica II were consistently better than
those with the large, clear M viewfinder.  It was harder to see, so when you
finally did see something good, there was less issue as to whether it was
good or not.  (Which, of course, fails miserably to explain why I sold the
II and am getting a second M.)

Now, as for the left-eyed part: I don't know if there is any real truth to
the issue of "left hemisphere vs. right hemisphere", but isn't the right
hemisphere supposed to be the "artistic" one?  And doesn't the left eye
connect to the right hemisphere?

In any case, I've recently started shooting with my left eye, although I'm
right eyed.  I noticed something interesting: the photographic process has
become less verbal.  I think less about what I'm taking a picture of and
feel more.  Of course, it could all be self-deluding psychobabble, but on
some level, I figure if it works, it works.

M.

- -- 
Martin Howard                     |
Visiting Scholar, CSEL, OSU       | Quidquid latine dictum, altum videtur.
email: howard.390@osu.edu         |
www: http://mvhoward.i.am/        +---------------------------------------

Replies: Reply from "Ted Grant" <tedgrant@home.com> (Re: [Leica] Re: Noctilux vs Those "Other" lenses)