Pinhole Cameras

What is a pinhole camera?

  A pinhole camera, also known as camera obscura, or "dark chamber", is a simple optical imaging device in the shape of a closed box or chamber. In one of its sides is a small hole which, via the use of light, creates an image of the outside space on the opposite side of the box, and this is where the square/rectangular piece of film will be placed.

Different examples of pinhole cameras

Holga 120 3D Stereo Pinhole Camera

ONDU 135 Pocket Pinhole Camera

Home Made Pinhole Camera

Pinhole Photography

Materials needed to make a pinhole camera

  To make a pinhole camera, you will need:

- matchbox

- electrical tape

- reel of 35mm film

- old 35mm film spool

- marker pen

- drinks can

- craft knife

- pair of scissors

Process of how to make a pinhole camera

Long Exposure

  With all of the following photographs, I took them in complete darkness using an ISO of 3200, a shutter speed of 10 seconds, and an aperture of f/8.

  To take these, the equipment I used was a tripod which was set fairly low to the ground to capture the whole movement of the light.  I also used a 'lightsaber' to create the patterns which you see below.  No other equipment was needed (other than the camera obviously) to complete this long exposure shoot, as it took place in my back garden.

  These are a some others that I captured which are along the same lines (I didn't like these ones as much, which is why they are apart of my contact sheet instead of being part of my final product).

Mock Photographs

For this photograph, I used the Empire State building, and a long exposure of a lightsaber being swung around.  I then layered them to create this swirl of light travelling up and around the building.  I like this one as it almost looks like someone has graffitied up the walls.

This Photograph is of Lady Liberty shining her torch as the sun sets in the distance.  I have put a layer of leaves on top of her, and combined with some filters I have used, gives it this over saturated look, but also still maintains a very detailed fore and back ground in which the colours occupy.

Both this photograph and the one below are using the same two photographs, but moved about to show different lighting and aspects of lighting that would otherwise be hidden if I were to only show one section of it.

In this photograph, I have cut out my friends eye and replaced it with a picture of a light up tree from my back garden.  To fade the tree in to the eye properly, i have gradually rubbed out buts of the blue glow round the edges, and this blends the colour more as you look closer to the centre.  I put a monochromatic filter on my friends face to draw more attention to what is happening inside her eye, as that's the most busy part of the photograph.

For this photograph, I used the same principle as the last one, which is to cut out a section of the top layer, and replace it with another layer underneath.  In this case, it's a door way filled with a sunset, instead of an eye with lights in it.