PinHole Photography
A pinhole camera is a simple camera without a lens but with a tiny aperture, a pinhole – effectively a light-proof box with a small hole in one side. Light from a scene passes through the aperture and projects an inverted image on the opposite side of the box, which is known as the camera obscura effect.
Class example
Some examples of pinhole photography that I like
The camera was constructed in school and was MDF box. Inside was black card to prevent any light spilling into the box. I used the flap to create the exposures.
I was trying to take images of areas that were quite interesting with a range of tones. Below is a guide to making your own pinhole camera. |
Photoshop experiments - overlapping and inverting and adding colour filters
Create an Illustrated Recipe for Making a Pinhole Camera
Ingredients: 1 x container (e.g. biscuit tin, chocolate powder carton etc.) 1 x sharp knife Black Gaffa/Duct tape A very thin, sharp pin Black matt paint and a brush (or black spray paint) Aluminium foil (Tinfoil) or a soft drink can A pair of scissors (optional) Step 1: Find a suitable container e.g. a cocoa tin or box. Try to ensure it has a removable lid and that the material it is made from is light proof. Step 2: Paint or spray the inside, and if necessary the outside, of the container black. This will prevent light bouncing around inside, ensuring that you get a clear image. Make sure that the lid of your container is light proof and relatively easy to remove and replace. Step 3: Cut a rectangular hole half way up the container (approx. 2 cm square) take care not to cut yourself! Step 4: Cut a 2.5 cm square piece of aluminium foil (tinfoil) and smooth it out. Use a pin to create a small hole in the centre of the tinfoil. You can also use a thin sheet of aluminium cut from a drinks can but be careful you don't cut yourself! If you're using aluminium (or even brass) sand around the pinhole making sure there are no rough edges. Step 5: Attach the tinfoil (or aluminium sheet) to the container making sure the pinhole is over the rectangular hole you already created. Step 6: Make a shutter flap out of card and/or tape that can open and close as you need it. Make sure that it completely covers the pinhole. Step 7: In the darkroom (under the red safe light) cut a piece of photographic paper to fit inside your container. Secure it in place with a small piece of tape if necessary. It should stay completely still throughout the exposure. Securely attach/replace the lid of your container and close the shutter. Step 8: Take the camera outside and find a suitable subject. Ensure that the camera is stable and can't be moved during the exposure. Open the shutter and expose the paper. Depending on the size of the pinhole and the brightness of the light your exposure can be anything from 30 seconds to 5 minutes. Make an educated guess and use your first image as a guide. Step 9: Close the shutter at the end of the exposure time and take the camera back to the darkroom. Carefully remove the paper and place it in the chemicals:
Step 10: There are two methods for creating a positive from your paper negative: In the darkroom: Make sure that your print is dry. Get a flat sheet of glass bigger than the image and another sheet of paper roughly the same size as your negative. Place the new (unexposed) piece of paper shiny side up underneath the enlarger. Place your paper negative on top of this and the glass on top of both. Select an exposure time of approx. 8 seconds. Expose the image. Remove the bottom piece of paper and develop as before. In Photoshop: Scan your paper negative. Import this scanned image into Photoshop. Select Image > Adjustments > Invert. Adjust the Levels if necessary. Rename the image and export as a jpeg. Hey presto, you should now be the proud owner of your very first pinhole print. |
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