Pinhole Camera Process.
Making My Pinhole Camera.
To create my pinhole camera I first of all bought in a digestive biscuit container shaped a cylinder which had previously been storing biscuits.
I then cut out a hole in the side of the object resembling the same shape as a postage stamp. This hole is so we could fit a lens into it.
We then painted the inside of the cylinder black to obstruct any light from entering the object.
A silver foil was placed over the hole and taped with black tape to make the lens. I then pierced a hole with a pin, hence the name ‘pinhole camera.’
I also made a flap out of black card so when I have captured the image I can then cover the pinhole for the image then to develop.
Using the Dark room.
To develop my photos I had to use a dark room which was where I also set up my photographic paper inside my camera. The photographic paper can not be exposed to natural day light therefore can only be exposed in the dark room unless the image has already been developed and fixed onto the paper.
Capturing and Developing.
During the process of capturing my chosen image I had to calculate the right amount of time it would take to capture the image by measuring the width of the cylinder and dividing it by 0.8 which is the rough diameter of the pinhole. My outcome resulted in me leaving my camera for 4 minutes inside and 30 seconds outside. Unfortunately my first few images did not develop so I had to change the object that I used originally for a larger metal container which worked a lot better. I chose to take all but one of my photos outside because it took less time which meant that I can have more then one photo. The images that I captured with my new pinhole camera developed quite well and I found that the less time I left it the more it developed.
To develop the photos I had to use the dark room. In the darkroom the chemicals that are used during the developing process is the developer, the stop and the fixer. The photographic paper has to be dipped in each of those chemicals before it is dried.
Scanning the photos.
To scan my photos I first had to swipe my college card so that the machine would know who to send the pictures to. I then lifted the top off the photo copier and placed my photos on the scanner. I then pressed ‘send to me’ and changed the file format to JPEG and pressed go. I repeated this a couple of times so that the photos wouldn’t over crowd the photo copier.
Analyse.
My first photo was taken from outside the college and was left for 30 seconds before I closed the flap over the pinhole. There are few marks on the photo which resemble the trunk of a tree. Over all I don’t like this photo because most of the photo is black and doesn’t show any resemblance to what I actually wanted to take the picture of.
Photo No.2
Again in this photo it only shows slight marks of objects that should be in the shot which was left for 30 seconds. However this image is black and has no resemblance to the outside landscape I had originally planned to capture.
Because my previous photos did not work so well I decided to leave the shutter open for 20 seconds instead of 30 so the papers not exposed to sunlight as long as before because the previous photo was over exposed in sunlight.
Photo No.4
This image was taken inside a classroom and left for 4 minutes. This photo only has few marks and a resemblance to a computer keyboard in the corner. I think this image didn’t develop so well because of the constant movement in the classroom from students walking in front.
Photo No.5
Because my pinhole camera made from a cylinder shape was not working to its full potential, I decided to change my camera completely and chose a longer object made from tin. The object also had a tight fastening on the lid because originally it had been built for air compression as the object stored foods of a sell by date. I chose to take a picture from outside the college and left the shutter open for 10 seconds. There was some resemblance of the image I wanted to capture however there was still some over exposure to light.
Photo No.6
My final photo is my favourite as it actually captured the outside of the college with no over exposure. By testing my pinhole camera 6 times I have found that if I wanted to capture an image outside I would have to leave the shutter open for 5 seconds to avoid over exposure.
Research and Development.
The first camera to ever be invented was the pinhole camera by Leonardo da Vinci in the 15th century. This pinhole camera consisted of a dark box with a pinhole at one end and a glass at the other. Then very simply as the light shines through the pin hole the image then appears on the glass screen.
The pinhole camera then progressed and developed right up to the 18th century where the images became much more clearer and colour photographs had been thought of and tested.
It was Charles Chevalier who constructed the first folding camera, a much more portable design then the camera obscura (pinhole camera.) It had side panels which could be unhinged and also it houses a film process in which highly polished silver-plated copper sheets are treated with a light sensitive formula called silver-iodide. By starting with a small idea then gradually testing and developing the idea more and more it is quite clear that something spectacular can appear from the once small dark box with a pinhole on the side of it. It may take years for the development to work but in theory the cameras that we have today are still based on the original pinhole camera it’s just the majority of the work has been done for you automatically by the manufacturer.
Each Idea through out history has been based on how the camera could be made easier for people to use so people have constantly been thinking of how they could improve the idea of the camera. Eventually all the work that’s been created has formed an evolution of cameras, like the theory of the evolution of man.
Over the years cameras have become easier and a better quality for the human race to use, it wasn’t long after the first digital camera which was invented in 1994, that manufacturers then went even further and tried to better their ideas and came up with optical zoom and even more little details that didn’t even cross many people’s mind before hand was then added to the invention such as colour and photo sharpness which creates the exact image you can see in front of you if not better. It just goes to show that there is no limit in the world of technology as it has already came so far and is definitely not showing any signs of putting a stop to the development and progress of camera technology.
Pinhole Camera- Evaluation.
By taking part in the processes of building and using a pinhole camera it has definitely shown me how far the world has come in terms of technology. I also did not know it was possible to be able to take a still image with out the use of electricity or other modern fuels. Another reason for my realisation of how much camera technologies have developed is the length of time it took to capture and develop a pinhole camera picture which took me personally 10 minutes at least to capture and develop only one image, it was also frustrating not knowing if the image was going to be successful or not. If the image was not successful it then meant I would have to keep repeating the same procedure except with different time limits until I had a clear interesting image which I was happy with. Considering the interesting negative colour schemes of my pictures it made me realise how easy it would be to just change the colour scheme on a modern camera and also all the other details in which a modern camera looks after when a pinhole camera does not. It made me learn to not take the quick and easy modern technology in which I own for granted.
Because not all of my pictures turned out how I wanted them to it made me want to change what I did in the first place for the next time I should want to use a pinhole camera. When I used my pinhole camera outside I noticed that the majority of my photos shared the same all over black flood effect due to the over exposure to daylight. So if I was to take a picture with my pinhole camera outside in future I will leave the camera for a shorter amount of time then I did before. I tested my pinhole camera outside six times and on my final image I produced an image to the best of my ability. I started by leaving my camera outside for 30 seconds, then I tried 20 seconds followed by 10 seconds for my last picture taken with my original camera. I noticed that all my pictures looked the same which meant by testing my camera for the first three shots I noticed that my original pinhole camera was faulty.
My original camera shape was of a short cylinder style so instead of using that again I decided to change to a different shape and material. Instead I used a recycled food container of a metal substance which resembled the shape of an oval with a longer length. I believe this improved my images because of the tighter fastening which made it certain that no sunlight was entering any creases within the camera to effect the development of the images. Another reason is because of the metal material it’s made from making it completely opaque where as my original camera was made of cardboard which isn’t as secure as metal and it also does not reflect light the same as the shiny surface as metal, instead because of the dark colour of cardboard it’s more likely to absorb the sunlight. The planning and testing of a pinhole camera is vital as it tells you the exact time limit you should leave before you should close the shutter and also it gives you an idea of which materials are better to use. I would definitely recommend to anyone who is making a pinhole camera to test other materials and time limits as you never know what works best until you try them.
Overall it has made me very grateful for the quick, reliable camera technologies we have access to today. It has also given me a wider understanding of how a camera works and how to develop photos. By doing this project it was like stepping back in time which to me acted like a breath of fresh air as it had broadened my knowledge of technical terms for camera parts and also helped with my patience and made me feel less dependant on technology. This project has taught me how to plan and prepare for practical tasks and has also developed my confidence in using and discussing camera equipment.
