Being A Left Eyed Shooter

                  Me having to use my left eye to compose a shot with  my FujiFilm HS 25 EXR camera


Pretty much every camera that has a viewfinder, whether it is an optical or an electronic viewfinder (EVF) almost everyone of the them are designed for those people who can aim the camera with their Right Eye. They are designed that way so the shooter can still see the surroundings with their Left Eye and see if anything  or anyone is about to come into their shot. And because like your hands, the majority of people are Right Eyed dominate (according to Wikipedia 2/3 of the people are right eye dominate).

But there are some of us like myself who are Left Eye dominate. And this makes shooting with the viewfinder awkward. I was born slightly crossed eyed or lazy eyed, not sure which because there are no baby pictures of me to show it. Between my Mom not wanting any shots taken till they got my eyes straighten out (which was done by exercising my eyes to get them to straighten out, this was the 1960's before modern techniques were developed) and the because I spent the first year or so of my life in and out of hospital for other medical reasons. Anyway because of that I have become Left Eye dominate. Even when I used to hunt (I come from a family of hunters, but I quickly discovered that I would rather hunt with a camera than a gun) I had to aim with my Left Eye which was awkward since most guns, like cameras, are designed for Right Eyed shooters. I have a hard time even aiming or using a viewfinder if I have my Right Eye open. I can't even close my Left Eye and keep the Right one open, that is how Left Eye dominate I am!

So most cameras are designed that have viewfinders are meant to used with Right Eye. For example my FujiFilm X30 has its viewfinder over towards the left of the camera. This design when using the right eye would allow the shooter to still see out their Left Eye. Unfortunately for myself, I can't use my Right Eye to compose with any viewfinder so when I put the camera to my left eye, my Right Eye is completely covered. This really is unfortunate because it limits me when it comes to things like Street Photography because I can't continue to see the scene when I have the camera to my Left Eye. And I don't like using the screen to compose my shots, I tend to be too shakey to shoot that way.

I have tried to use my Right Eye on the viewfinder, but I have a hard time even finding the viewfinder with my Right Eye and when I do I have a really hard time trying to even see anything let alone focusing through the viewfinder.

Being a Left Eye dominate shooter in the photography world can be difficult and can take time to adjust too. I can kinda understand now how hard it must be for those people who are Left Handed in a world where almost everything is designed to used with the Right hand.

Sample pictures from the X30

Here are some of the first shots with the Fujifilm X30. I went out last Saturday morning, before sunrise, to Barrie to do some street shooting. I got into town in time for the "Blue Hour" (that hour before the sun has risen over the horizon but is still getting light out). I got a couple of great shots. I was shooting in Aperture mode with ISO set at 800.

I also wanted to test out the new Fujifilm film Simulation "Classic Chrome". Fuji has long been known for it's film simulations. Even my HS 25EXR which is about 4 years old has great simulations. Well now Fuji has created this "Classic Chrome" which is supposed to give the pictures a look and feel similar to the old "Kodachrome" film that was popular in the last century. Here are some example shots using this simulation.

All and all I am very impressed by this camera. It has a great size and weight to it that is perfect for Street/Urban Photography. It takes great pictures, even though it is only a 2/3 sensor and only 12 MP. But that 2/3 sensor is FujiFilm's amazing X TransTM CMOS II sensor, which takes amazing JPEG's that require little or no post processing. I am going to have a lot of fun with this little but awesome compact camera!!!!

New Camera.....Fujifilm X30!

I have been looking for a new camera, something that was better suited for Street Photography. I wanted a smaller camera, something that would be easier to carry all day long on the street. I wanted something that would still be recognized as a camera (something that a camera on a phone doesn't) but they wouldn't immediately identify as a "pro" camera. I was looking for something that people would see and know I am carrying a camera but one that wouldn't make people feel uncomfortable about it. I wanted a smaller camera, but not one that was so small that people would think I am trying to be all "sneaky" about taking their pictures.

I have been using the FujiFilm HS25EXR "Bridge/SuperZoom" camera for the last few years, it an amazing camera with a great manual zoom lens. I have gotten some really amazing landscape and wildlife shots with this camera. However I find it combersome and heavy when I am doing Street Photography. As an example, a year or so ago we were down in Toronto's Kensington Market neighbourhood, my wife had never been and her Son loves it down there. He loves some of the shops and stores, especially the vintage clothing stores. Well I had my HS25 and I felt it was too big going in and out of the shops. That is when I started researching cameras.

I have done a lot of research, both "print" reviews and video blogs on YouTube. I have been a FujiFilm guy for years, but I also researched cameras by other company's such as Sony, Canon, Leica and others. However I found myself drawn to two particular cameras......both by Fujifilm. I was drawn to the X30 and the X100T cameras. I really liked the X100T, with it's single focal length lens, it's "Hybrid Viewfinder" and other advanced features. However I didn't like the near $1400 price tag on the X100T. Based on the reviews I also was interested in the X30. I liked the manual zoom, the class leading EVF(for the size and price range), and the advanced film simulations and the new WiFi features. I eventually decided on the X30, which at the time of my purchase was on sale for $200 off.

So far I am liking the X30, I haven't done much shooting with it yet, but so far I am happy with the camera. I will post some shots in the near future once I get the chance to really get out and put the camera through it's paces.

Vintage Cameras-a hobby and a collection!

I love vintage cameras. I have a nice little collection of cameras. Some are SLR's, some are Polaroids, and some are Range Finders and some are older. They range from the 1910's up to the 80's and 90's. Some have great stories, some come from family, some from strangers. Here are some of my faves.

This is a Kodak Vest Pocket camera. This camera was very popular with soldiers in WW1 because of it's small size, especially when it is folded closed. I got this from a woman who answered a post I put out in a group on Facebook looking for vintage cameras. She said she had a bunch of cameras that used to belong to her Grandfather and Father. She said that her Grandfather was in fact in WW1, but she didn't know if he had this during the war. I like to this it was. The camera is in great shape, the hinges and bellows are in amazing shape for it's age.

This is an Kodak Six 20 Brownie Junior that was a Christmas present from my son Justin. It is an extra special camera to me because it was made in Canada in 1932 (as you can see from the inside label which in amazing shape). It has been along time since anything like this has been made in Canada.

My first "Range Finder" camera. It needs a little cleaning and needs new seals inside. I hope to get it fixed so I can try it and see what kind of pictures I can get with it.

This is a Falcon Miniature camera. I got this from a woman at work, it was part of a collection she gave me that belonged to her husband's brother. It is made of "Bakelite" and was made in 1939 by the Utility Manufacturing Company. I love how small it is, the medicine bottle was used in this photo to give scale for the size of the camera.


These are just a few of my favourite cameas in my collection. I may post more in another post in the future.

Portraits and shooting people!

Even though Street Photography is my main interest and focus, I do enjoy doing portraits and other such shoots as well. I have shot a couple of weddings, did my friends engagement photos, did my sister-in-law's "Trash the Dress" shoot after their wedding, and for the last couple of years I have volunteered to photograph the Santa pictures at the department store my wife works at. Each of these experiences have made me grow as a photographer and taught me a lot.

This is a shot from my Wife's Brother's wedding a couple of years ago. It was a overcast day, in fact it stopped raining just long enough for the service which was outdoors. As such there were no harsh shadows to work around.

This is a shot from the "Trash the Dress" I did with my Sister-in-Law. It was a great day, it was the first time I ever worked with a non-human model, LOL. It was a bright beautiful day and it was the first time that I had to rely on a reflector to fill in shadows. It was another great learning experience.

This was an engagement shoot that I did for friends, I also shot their wedding. The engagement shoot was a very fun experience. They chose an abandoned railway line behind their house as the location of the shoot and we got some great shots. It was a beautiful fall day.

I would love to do some more portraits and such. A good photographer should be well rounded and be able to do a lot of different styles of photography.

Street Art!

A big part of being a Street/Urban Photographer is that you see some really fantastic street art (both commisioned and graffitti). I have seen some amazing murals and street art done in a lot of different locations. For example, there is a town in the area where I grew up called Midland. This town was looking for another idea to attrack tourists, so they commissioned an artist to do a series of murals around town highlighting some of the town's history. And they have become a huge tourism draw. I have also found some great murals and art in places like the Kensington Market area of Toronto.

Some street art looks great in B&W photos, but some are so colourful that they cry out to shot in colour. The following are some of my favourite Street Art photos that I have taken and they were all taken in the Kensington Market area of Toronto.

Camera of choice!

Every photographer out there has their favourite brands of camera. My Dad for instance was always a Canon guy when it came to his SLR's, (I say was because he gave me his Canon camera to me to add to my collection). On the other hand my Brother is a Nikon shooter.

Myself, I have been a Fujifilm guy for years. My first "good" camera was the FujiFilm S2950 camera (which my Son now uses). I then upgraded to the FujiFilm HS25EXR bridge camera which is still my camera. I love the HS25, it is a fixed lens camera but it has an amazing zoom range (30X range 24-720mm without digital assist). It also shoots amazing macro pictures. I have taken some great shots over the last couple of years, including a great shot of a Bald Eagle when we were vacationing in Prince Edward Island. My son and brother in law were both using the S2950 cameras and I was able to zoom in so much closer before ended up scaring the Eagle away. The camera is fantastic for landscape and wildlife photography.

Unfortunately for my main photography interest of Street/Urban photography the camera isn't the greatest for a couple of reasons. The main reason that isn't working for me in that aspect is the size and weight. It isn't the biggest camera, nor is as heavy as most DSLR's but for Street Photography it still feels too big and heavy.

 If I am doing some Street shooting, say in Toronto, and want to go into a restaurant or store, having that big of a camera hanging on my sling (I use a sling style strap that screws into the tripod mount on the bottom of the camera) is a bit of a pain, If I am in a store, especially some of the cluttered stores in places like Kensington Market in Toronto I am always worried that my camera is going hit and breake something. Or that the lens will get damaged by coming into contact with something.

The other reason that I looking for a new camera is that when I am shooting with the HS 25EXR it is a little to obvious and intimating for people that I am trying to shoot. It looks too much big DSLR and people notice me when I am carrying it long before I raise it to my eye.

So I am shopping around for a new camera. Now even though a lot of the brands have some great small but advanced cameras out there, I want to stick with Fujifilm. So there are a few cameras I am looking at getting. I am really torn between the X30 and the X100T. I want a fixed lens, I don't have money that I can afford to spend on a lot of lenses, and for street photography I don't really need a lot of lenses anyway, so those two cameras would work great. The X30 has a small zoom range on it, while the X100T has a 35mm prime lens on it. I like the idea of the challenge of the fixed lens. But the X30 is almost half the price of the X100T which is around $1300 while the X30 is around $600. So I will probably go with the X30, but the X100T is such a pretty looking camera and is so tempting. Time, and money will decide which camera I end up buying. I will post an update when I finally buy one.

Riding the Train!

I love riding the subway in Toronto with my camera. The following are a couple of my pictures that I have taken while riding the trains.

I love this picture, it is hard to tell if the guy standing with the backpack is drunk or just trying not to fall over because of the movement of the train.

With the above shot, I love the contrast between the movement of those exiting the train, and those standing and sitting.

Lest We Forget

I took this shot a couple of years ago in Barrie, Ontario of it's cenotaph. It is by far one of my favourite shots. I know it breaks one of the golden rules of photography when it comes to taking pictures into the sun. But I feel in this case I feel that having the sun behind the statue makes the soldier almost look alive.

Fiddle Away!

The took these two pictures of a fiddle playing busker on the "main" street in Collingwood, Ontario. I took them from across the street so I wouldn't disturb his playing. He was an amazing fiddle player and his music was great. I listened to him play for a few minutes, watiching his movements before I raised my camera and started taking pictures. I went over and donated a couple of dollars for both his playing and for making a great model.