question... is it psychosis?

[handmade34]

really... this may not be so much photography as it psychotic... I have been aware, but this morning taking photos on my walk it really hit me... I almost always put my subject to the left... is that a sign of something?? or am I just boring and predictable (heaven forbid)?? what do you all think??

[ManiacJoe]

1. Studies have been done.

Over the years I have seen multiple claims that studies have been done to show that cultures tend to favor a side for these type of things. I have never seen any of these studies, and I don't recall the stated conclusions. However I do remember that I don't necessarily agree with the claim that my American culture favors side X.

[handmade34]

2. do you find that you

have a preference? is a right brain/left brain thing? I do know that I tend to always tilt my head to the left a bit

I'm not sure that my photography suffers from it but I think I might be limiting myself

[pscot]

3. My brain wants them on the left also

[ManiacJoe]

4. I don't have a preference.

But this would suggest that I am the exception, from what I remember of the studies. The studies suggested that the writing direction (l-r vs r-l) heavily influenced the preferences.

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. You are correct, it is how you read a photo

In the West we tend to read them left to right, well in places that right right to left, tend to read compositions that way. Look at photos taken by Japanese photographers. They tend to put things closer to the center... think how Kanji is written.

And you are correct about the studies.

At times I 'break the rules" and try to go for other kinds of compositions. At times, today at the farmers market, I had no choice, so made the best I could, but the photo reads right to left.

[Johnny Noshoes]

5. I don't know if its left or right...

these just seem to be framed in a way that pleases the eye and looks right. If the subjects were dead center the shots would look boring. Its the rule of thirds I think and create or use leading lines in the image to lead to your subject so if its done right the eyes are drawn to the subject and the center would - in my opinion - usually be the most boring place to put the subject.