We did this independently by searching it on-line to find out as much as we could about this genre. Below is the information I had discovered from my research.
What is Pinhole Photography?
Pinhole Photography is a way of capturing images onto a light-sensitive piece of printing paper (or film) by placing it into a tight container. The container has a hole in it but only the size of a pin (hence why it's called pinhole); it has no camera lens. The images on the paper or film can be negative, positive, black & white or in colour. They are also very soft-looking images; they are not sharp.It was invented in the 10th century by a Persian scientist named Alhazen who gave a theory on how a camera like this would work. Throughout the years, other professionals have improved his theory so we have a better understanding of Pinhole Photography. These people include Mozi, Robert Grosseteste, Roger Bacon, Giambattista della Porta, and David Brewster.
How does it work?
You make your own pinhole camera by using a container that allows no light through, and also allows you to have a hole in it. This could be a can or any kind of box.
You insert the printing paper or film into the container but it MUST be done in complete darkness or the light will ruin the paper. You can insert the paper by using a dark room. You also need to make sure the paper does not cover the pinhole, otherwise it will block the light from reaching the whole paper/film.
Once the paper is inside the container, you need to make sure there is no way of the light getting into it. If you see that light can get through use duct tape or any other resources to block it out. You also would need a little flap to go over the pinhole, which can allow you to open it up to expose the hole when needed. Only when you know no light is getting through can you turn the lights on.
Now your pinhole camera is ready. You then go and find what image you want to take the photo of. You place the camera so the pinhole is facing what you're taking the photo of, and then you open the flap to expose the pinhole to the light. The time you leave it exposed for depends on how the lighting is. If it is bright, it won't need to be exposed for that long. If it is quite dull and cloudy, it would need to be exposed for much longer.
After exposing it, you cover the hole back up with the flap you created and take it back to the dark room. You can only use the paper/film once.
When you're back in the dark room you can take your paper/film out of the container. You then need to develop it by putting it through some stages; the developer, the stop bath, the fixer and then you wash the chemicals off before leaving it to dry. You can only have the light on once the image has been in the fixer for at least 30 seconds.After exposing it, you cover the hole back up with the flap you created and take it back to the dark room. You can only use the paper/film once.
You get an image on your paper/film by the light passing through the pinhole which then projects an image on the opposite side of the container to where your paper/film is. Because the paper/film used is light-sensitive, it changes to a brighter colour if light gets to it. If there are objects in the way of the light, that area on the paper will be much darker so when the image is done, we can see what it is because of it's colour being different.
Source from: http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/Pin.html
What are advantages and disadvantages of Pinhole Photography?
The advantages of Pinhole Photography are that it allows the photographer to see how the image will look, as they will look at how the lighting is which gives them a brief idea on how it would turn out.
It allows you to be creative as you can design and make your own camera.
You can use it for fun, art and even science.
When it was first created, Ancient Chinese, Greek and Arabic scientists used it to research the nature of light, and now modern scientists use it to make images of radiation sources (gamma radiation). Therefore it is very helpful.
The disadvantages are that the images are limited in size as the pinhole is very small so it only lets a certain amount of light through.
It can be hard to estimate how long you should expose it for so it's all about trial and error. This can be bad because if you need the image to work first time round, it can be stressful if it doesn't.
It's not suitable for all types of photographs. For example, you wouldn't be able to take detailed shots as the images are not sharp.
It takes a long time to complete the images because you need to go through the developing stages before being able to see it.
People may find it frustrating to not know how it will turn out.
It's tricky to do as you need to ensure the paper is not exposed to light until you've taken the picture, and then in the dark room to develop it.
Examples of Pinhole Photography
A photographer who stood out to me was Jean-François Noville. He is a pinhole photographer as well as an actor who work in Belgium.He believes that pinhole photography is "all about dream and imagination" which is why he likes to create photos that make people wonder what it could be.
He enjoys taking photos from the ground so he gets an upright view of people/objects as he feels it creates a new way of looking at things which is very fresh.
The images were soft and blurred, which gave me a sense of time rushing past us so it's hard to take it every detail. It's like we can't remember everything clearly, but we have an outline of what had happened. They also look quite dirty looking (which I found out was how he likes his photos to be to create imagination) so it gives it an old-fashion feel that makes it seem like it's history.
I enjoyed his images because at first glance it was hard to know what it was, but then as you looked in more detail you could see that there were faces in the images, or outlines of people. It made me use my imagination, and that really helped me understand the images from his point of view. It got me questioning things like 'where were these taken?' or 'when did this happen? Is it history?'
Sources from: http://chriskeeney.com/blog/2011/12/jean-fran%C3%A7ois-noville-december-2011-ck-pinhole-photographer-feature
Another photographer I had an interest in was Justin Quinnell. He uses a special technique in pinhole photography called 'Solargraphy' which is when the image is exposed for a long time like half a year, usually to show a path of the sun moving along the sky. He enjoys doing this type of photography as it allows us to see things that we wouldn't have been able to with our own vision. He did this photography by using an empty drink can and a single sheet of photographic paper. An example is the first image at the bottom of this text.
I was completely amazed by his work because he creates weird images that are so artistic. Just like Jean's, his images make you wonder what it is and you have to look twice to understand what it really is. An example is the second image which is after this text. At first glance it looks really confusing, but as you look closely you can see that it's someone's arm and hand placed on the ground.
The third image is also a favourite of mine because it's something to smile at; it's fun and creative. The angle makes it look like we're there with it so it's as if it's taking us to a whole new world.
Another photographer I had an interest in was Justin Quinnell. He uses a special technique in pinhole photography called 'Solargraphy' which is when the image is exposed for a long time like half a year, usually to show a path of the sun moving along the sky. He enjoys doing this type of photography as it allows us to see things that we wouldn't have been able to with our own vision. He did this photography by using an empty drink can and a single sheet of photographic paper. An example is the first image at the bottom of this text.
I was completely amazed by his work because he creates weird images that are so artistic. Just like Jean's, his images make you wonder what it is and you have to look twice to understand what it really is. An example is the second image which is after this text. At first glance it looks really confusing, but as you look closely you can see that it's someone's arm and hand placed on the ground.
The third image is also a favourite of mine because it's something to smile at; it's fun and creative. The angle makes it look like we're there with it so it's as if it's taking us to a whole new world.
Sources from: http://www.lomography.com/magazine/lifestyle/2011/04/19/justin-quinnell-the-pinhole-wizard
Moodboard
Experimenting
One of the objectives for this unit is for the students to experiment different imagery, techniques and processes, so I had the opportunity to experiment on Pinhole Photography.
I had to create my own Pinhole camera by using a beer can. I had to cut the top of the beer can so I could put the paper in later on. I made sure the beer can was clean and dry. I then had to create a lid for it by using duct tape; making sure there was no way light could get through it. I then used a pin to pierce a tiny hole in the side of the can which I will use as my pin hole (obviously). I then used the duct tape again to create a little flap that would cover my pinhole until I needed to use it.
Once I had created the camera, I went to the dark room and placed the light-sensitive paper into my can making sure it didn't cover the pinhole, and also in complete darkness so the paper didn't react to the light.
With the rest of my class, I went outside around the school and we experimented with our cameras. I found an area to take my photo, I placed my camera so it lined up to where I wanted the photo to be taken, and then had my fellow students to model out a scene for me. I did this by taking off the flap to expose the pinhole to the light, and had two students walk towards another student who was stood in the middle so they were side by side, and then had them walk away again. When they had completed that I covered the pinhole with the flap again.
When I went back to the dark room, I took out my paper from the can in complete darkness and went through the developing procedures by putting my paper in the developer for 1 minute, the stop bath for 30 seconds, and then the fixer for 2 minutes. I was then able to turn the light on and wash the chemicals off my images before leaving it to dry.
Below is the result of my pinhole photograph.
I really liked how the photograph gave people a ghost-like feel; they were white with a bit of a blur to show where they were moving. Even though the image looks very white and over-exposed I quite like it because it makes the image very haunting; as if the people were walking into the darkness.
I also enjoy the layout of the image. It's quite circular which makes it look like some kind of timeline. It's like a part of history or memory. It also looks like you're looking through someone's eye which gives it that weird look to it.
Clearly there are some problems with it. The first problem being the exposure being too long making it look white in some areas and dark in others. This could have been due to the lighting being quite light in those areas, and also exposing it to the paper too long.
To improve my work, I would ensure I think about the lighting first so I know where any shadows would be and how long I should expose it for. I would probably test out using still images to see the difference from moving objects.
I also enjoy the layout of the image. It's quite circular which makes it look like some kind of timeline. It's like a part of history or memory. It also looks like you're looking through someone's eye which gives it that weird look to it.
Clearly there are some problems with it. The first problem being the exposure being too long making it look white in some areas and dark in others. This could have been due to the lighting being quite light in those areas, and also exposing it to the paper too long.
To improve my work, I would ensure I think about the lighting first so I know where any shadows would be and how long I should expose it for. I would probably test out using still images to see the difference from moving objects.
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