# Second from the left (or is it second from the right?) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 18, 2018, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/second-from-the-left-or-is-it-second-from-the-right/814403 "2018-05-18T16:19:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2018, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/second-from-the-left-or-is-it-second-from-the-right/814403/1 "2018-05-18T16:19:57Z")
If I showed you [this picture](https://img.wennermedia.com/article-leads-horizontal/rs-6094-rectangle.jpg), and asked which one is Mick, what would you say? Does the right/left orientation point come from the viewer’s perspective, or the people who are in the photo? ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2018, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/second-from-the-left-or-is-it-second-from-the-right/814403/2 "2018-05-18T16:47:10Z")
Second from the left. I always thought it was the viewer’s perspective. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2018, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/second-from-the-left-or-is-it-second-from-the-right/814403/3 "2018-05-18T16:52:34Z")
Not a rule or anything, but from the picture’s perspective I would say **Second from THEIR right**. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2018, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/second-from-the-left-or-is-it-second-from-the-right/814403/4 "2018-05-18T17:07:45Z")
Second from the left. ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2018, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/second-from-the-left-or-is-it-second-from-the-right/814403/5 "2018-05-18T17:12:27Z")
Viewer’s perspective would be standard ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2018, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/second-from-the-left-or-is-it-second-from-the-right/814403/6 "2018-05-18T17:19:51Z")
> [@](#): > > from the picture’s perspective I would say Second from THEIR right. Huh? There is only one answer: 2nd from the left. Imagine that it was a picture of 5 trees, not people—and you asked which one is the Maple? (assume that the Maple is where Mick is standing) You would count from _your_ left,not from “picture’s perspective”. Well,I would. So that settles it, 'mkay? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2018, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/second-from-the-left-or-is-it-second-from-the-right/814403/7 "2018-05-18T17:24:50Z")
Alas, I don’t have any examples handy that I can check, but if I remember correctly the convention has always been that, when there’s a caption with a picture that identifies who’s in the picture, “left” and “right” always refer to the left and right side of the picture itself (from the viewer’s perspective). ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2018, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/second-from-the-left-or-is-it-second-from-the-right/814403/8 "2018-05-18T17:43:12Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > Huh? > There is only one answer: 2nd from the left… > > So that settles it, 'mkay? 🙂 Well, I agree, but the reason I started this is because someone argued vehemently that I was wrong, and made it quite clear that the orientation was from the people in the photo. I wondered if anyone else had this bizarre and totally wrong viewpoint as well. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2018, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/second-from-the-left-or-is-it-second-from-the-right/814403/9 "2018-05-18T18:58:22Z")
I’d say second from the left, whether it’s a photo, or if they’re standing in front of me. It’s _my_ left as I’m looking at them. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2018, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/second-from-the-left-or-is-it-second-from-the-right/814403/10 "2018-05-18T19:12:36Z")
From the left. Saying “Second from Their Right” is just forcing the person looking at the picture to do the “Math” of converting it back to their own perspective whereas starting from their own perspective saves the trouble. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2018, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/second-from-the-left-or-is-it-second-from-the-right/814403/11 "2018-05-18T19:23:46Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Well, I agree, but the reason I started this is because someone argued vehemently that I was wrong, and made it quite clear that the orientation was from the people in the photo. I wondered if anyone else had this bizarre and totally wrong viewpoint as well. 🙂 What color hat were they wearing? ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2018, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/second-from-the-left-or-is-it-second-from-the-right/814403/12 "2018-05-18T20:05:20Z")
It would be interesting to raise this question in Israel or an Arabic country because my guess is that it is related to our left to right reading. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2018, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/second-from-the-left-or-is-it-second-from-the-right/814403/13 "2018-05-18T20:18:27Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > What color hat were they wearing? I didn’t notice a hat, but she was wearing a blue striped dress and saying “Yanni” over and over. I _think_ it was Yanni. If you see someone in a white striped dress saying Laurel, that’s probably her. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2018, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/second-from-the-left-or-is-it-second-from-the-right/814403/14 "2018-05-18T22:29:35Z")
If you don’t specify differently, then describing a picture is from the viewer’s perspective. If you do specify differently, please only do so for a very good reason, and in a way that a stupid person could understand. 🙂 I’m not saying there’s never a reason, just that it should be a good one. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2018, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/second-from-the-left-or-is-it-second-from-the-right/814403/15 "2018-05-19T01:58:03Z")
I have seen captions that will say something like “Bob X stands at Susie’s right” or At Susie’s right hand is Bob X." But overall it’s very confusing to do it that way. Left to right as displayed to the reader is always best. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2018, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/second-from-the-left-or-is-it-second-from-the-right/814403/16 "2018-05-19T02:09:38Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > I have seen captions that will say something like “Bob X stands at Susie’s right” or At Susie’s right hand is Bob X." But overall it’s very confusing to do it that way. Left to right as displayed to the reader is always best. I agree, unless for example Susie’s actual literal right hand was an important part of a story being told. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2018, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/second-from-the-left-or-is-it-second-from-the-right/814403/17 "2018-05-19T02:19:57Z")
Second from the left, second from stage right. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2018, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/second-from-the-left-or-is-it-second-from-the-right/814403/18 "2018-05-19T04:58:44Z")
_“He’s the one with the lips.”_ ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2018, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/second-from-the-left-or-is-it-second-from-the-right/814403/19 "2018-05-19T05:59:46Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > Second from the left, second from stage right. This is what I was going to post. The default is from the perspective of the viewer. If we mean something different, we qualify it specifically. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2018, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/second-from-the-left-or-is-it-second-from-the-right/814403/20 "2018-05-19T06:07:40Z")
Depends. If they’re below the equator, then it would be second right. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/second-from-the-left-or-is-it-second-from-the-right/814403.md?page=2)