p inhole photography - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

pinhole photographySlide2

Unit Overview

Students

will build simple cameras and use them to expose photographic paper, which will then be developed into photographic negatives using darkroom chemicals.  These negatives can then be made into positive images either through the use of an enlarger in a darkroom or by scanning the negatives and inverting them in Photoshop.  Throughout the unit students will look to mentor photographers and the pinhole photographer community for guidance and inspiration.Slide3

This presentation contains detailed descriptions of camera construction and use. These methods presented have been refined through experience with many classes of students, ranging in age from 3

rd

grade to high school.

Part of the magic of pinhole photography, however, is its homemade, lo-fi, inexpensive, experimental quality. The picture below, of the Sphinx in Egypt, was taken with a pinhole camera made by poking a safety pin through the side of a film canister. The techniques and processes of artmaking are only a means to an end. The images and the ideas they generate are the important thing. The methods presented here are not the only or best path to success. Please simplify or depart from these guidelines wherever it would better suit your resources or needs.Slide4

Chapters

building the box camera

creating the pinholetaking a photograph

making a positive print

creating a pinhole camera from an existing

container

m

entor examples

student examples

resourcesSlide5

building the box camera

This camera is designed to be built from standard cardboard and take undistorted 4”x5” pictures. Slide6

Objectives: By constructing a functioning 4x5 pinhole camera, we will learn the importance of careful and precise measurement.

We will learn the relationship between pinhole size and image quality in order to construct the optimal pinhole for our individual cameras.

We will assess the quality of our camera construction by creating a test exposure and identifying any problems.Slide7

Building the camera – measurement and assembly guideSlide8

Building the camera – measuring accurately

Measure all parts of the camera carefully and precisely.

To ensure parallel lines, measure distances twice, then connect the marks.Slide9

Building the camera

Cut out and score all pieces.

To create a fold, cut through only one surface of the cardboard.

A fold will always be stronger and more light-tight than a connection created with tape, but if the original source cardboard is not big enough to create a piece as a whole, it can be created by taping together two separate pieces.Slide10

Building the camera

Assemble the boxes with masking tapeSlide11

Building the camera

Go over each taped seam with electrical tape. This will make the seams light tight.Slide12

Building the camera

The electrical tape may lose its stickiness over time. An additional layer of masking tape can secure the seams.Slide13

creating a pinhole camera from an existing containerSlide14

Building the camera

The inside of the camera should be painted black so that light that has entered the camera through the pinhole does not reflect off the walls and create distortions in the image.

Spray paint (flat or satin finish) and tempera paint are both good for this purpose. Spray paint is faster to use, tempera is cheaper and more typically available in an art department, as well as safer for younger students. Slide15

Building the camera – adding the pinhole

Examples of finished cameras.Slide16

Building the camera – adding the pinhole

Examples of finished cameras.Slide17

creating and adding the pinholeSlide18

Building the camera – adding the pinhole

Create a pinhole by pressing down with the pin while rotating the square of metal. This will create a drilling action that will create the roundest possible hole, which will help your images to be crisp.

Place something firm but flexible, like a magazine or a stack of scrap paper, under the metal so that the pin can poke through the surface. If the metal is on a hard surface like a desk, the pin will have nowhere to go. If the metal is on a soft surface, the pin will push too far through and the hole will be too big.Slide19

Building the camera – adding the pinhole

When the pin punctures the metal, it will create sharp, uneven edges on the opposite side. Sand these with sandpaper to smooth the surface.

The sanding may collapse the hole on itself, so it may be necessary to go back with the pin and round it out again by twisting without applying much pressure.

The ideal is a perfectly round hole in a very flat piece of metal.Slide20

Building the camera – adding the pinhole

All pinhole images are slightly ‘soft’ or ‘fuzzy’ or ‘out of focus’, but having the right pinhole size can sharpen the images as much as possible.

The ideal pinhole size depends on the distance from the pinhole to the photo paper. On the box camera, this corresponds to a pinhole about ½ mm in diameter. No common ruler shows fractions of a millimeter, but ½ mm can be estimated. Slide21

Building the camera – adding the pinhole

Place electrical tape around all four sides of the metal square.Slide22

Building the camera

Tape the pinhole to the inside of the box, so that the pinhole is centered in the front of the box.Slide23

Building the camera

Tape the pinhole to the inside of the box, so that the pinhole is centered in the front of the box.Slide24

Building the camera

Reinforce this with masking tape too.Slide25

Building the camera

Finished and ready to go!Slide26

Building the camera

The inside of the camera should be painted black so that light that has entered the camera through the pinhole does not reflect off the walls and create distortions in the image.

Painting the interior of the outside box also helps prevent light from entering the camera through the narrow space between the inside and outside boxes.

Spray paint (flat or satin finish) and tempera paint are both good for this purpose. Spray paint is faster to use, tempera is cheaper and more typically available in an art department, as well as safer for younger students. Slide27

Building the camera

Feel free to decorate the outside of the camera to personalize it.Slide28

taking a photographSlide29

Objective: We will learn the relationship between exposure time and image quality by producing an overexposure, an underexposure, and a correct exposure.Slide30

using the camera

Position the camera so the pinhole is directed at the subject. The camera must be placed somewhere stable, where it will remain completely still during the exposure. It can be placed on the ground, or on a sturdy object.Slide31

using the camera

Even though there is no viewfinder, try to be particular about your composition. Use whatever is available to prop and angle your camera so that it is pointing in the best possible direction.Slide32

using the camera

When the camera is positioned, begin the exposure by uncovering the pinhole. Using a watch, a phone stopwatch, or by counting in your head, measure the length of the exposure.

The ideal exposure time depends on the size of the camera and the lighting conditions. The greater the distance from the pinhole to the photo paper, the longer the exposure time.

The 4x5 box camera needs about 45 seconds on a sunny day.If the day is overcast, or the subject matter is in the shade, multiply the time by 4. So, for the box camera, 45 seconds x 4 = 3 minutes.When the exposure is finished, place the tape back over the pinhole. Do this before picking up the camera.Slide33

examples of different negative exposures

Very underexposed. Large parts of the picture contain no details even though some objects in the picture appear clearly.

Slightly underexposed. Many objects appear clearly, but some parts of the picture, like the upper left, contain little or no detail.

Well exposed. Most or all of the picture contains detail in both the highlight areas and the shadow areas.

Slightly overexposed. Some parts of the picture are clear but others are too dark, and lose detail, like the top of the ball and the top of the toy car.Slide34

making a positive printSlide35

Objectives: We will learn to select the optimal darkroom exposure time by creating a

test strip

of exposure possibilities.

We will learn the proper use of the enlarger and timer by creating a positive contact print.Slide36

making a test strip with the enlarger

Set the enlarger timer to five seconds. You will expose the paper multiple times, each time for five seconds. This will create a spectrum of exposure possibilities with a gradation of five second intervals.

Position the enlarger head so that it illuminates an area significantly larger than the negative.

To expose the paper, place your negative face down on top of a fresh, unexposed piece of photo paper. The new photo paper should be face up on the tabletop. Cover both with clean glass, so that the negative and new sheet are pressed tightly together. For the first exposure, cover all but a small strip with a piece of cardboard or mat board. The strip should be about an inch wide, but this not have to be precise. Expose this area of the paper for 5 seconds.Slide37

making a test strip with the enlarger

For the second exposure, move the mat board slightly to uncover another inch of the photo paper. Expose what is now uncovered for the same 5 seconds. This will also add 5 seconds to the first exposure, so the paper has now been exposed for two different lengths of time, 5 seconds and 10 seconds.

For the

third exposure, again move the mat board slightly to uncover another inch of the photo paper. Expose what is now uncovered for the same 5 seconds. This will also add 5 seconds to the first and second exposures, so the paper has now been exposed for

three different lengths of time, 5, 10, and 15 seconds.Slide38

making a test strip with the enlarger

For the fourth exposure, again move the mat board slightly to uncover another inch of the photo paper. Expose what is now uncovered for the same 5 seconds. This will also add 5 seconds to the first three exposures, so the paper has now been exposed for four different lengths of time, 5, 10, 15, and 20 seconds.

For the

fifth and final exposure, remove the mat board completely so that the entire negative is uncovered. Expose what is now uncovered for the same 5 seconds. This will also add 5 seconds to the first four exposures, so the paper has now been exposed for five different lengths of time,

5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 seconds.Slide39

After the five exposures, process the newly exposed photo paper through the chemicals. A well made test strip will look like this, where the picture will be visible across a spectrum of exposure possibilities. The darkest part of the gradation is the part of the picture that was exposed all five times. Five exposures of 5 seconds each creates a total exposure of 25 seconds.

The lightest part of the gradation is the side of the picture that was only exposed once, when the mat board was removed completely.

An ideal test strip will range from underexposure to overexposure, with the optimal exposure somewhere in the middle.Slide40

After processing, view the test strip in normal lighting conditions (not the darkroom) to decide on the optimal exposure. This can be one of the five second intervals or something in between. The ideal exposure will have details in both the shadow areas and the highlight areas.

In this case, 20 seconds is a little too dark and 15 a little too light, so we will use an exposure of 18 seconds.Slide41

After determining the optimal exposure, again place a new piece of photo paper face up under the enlarger. Cover it with the same negative, face down, and the clean glass. Do not cover any part of the picture with the mat board.

Set the enlarger timer to the chosen time, in this case 18 seconds, and expose the entire photo for this one unit of time.Slide42

The result will be a balanced exposure of the full image. All parts of the image should have details visible in both the highlight areas and the shadow areas.

d

igital photograph

pinhole photographSlide43

Photo paper is more sensitive to the blue end of the light spectrum than the red, so colors will translate to black and white differently in a pinhole photograph than they do in a digital black and white photograph.

d

igital photograph

pinhole photographSlide44

Below are examples of underexposed, properly exposed, and overexposed prints.

5 seconds

18 seconds

45 secondsSlide45

learning from the pinhole photography communitySlide46

Through an exploration of images at

http://pinholeday.org/

, students can take instruction and inspiration from pinhole photographs taken all over the world. Some of these have been taken by accomplished and experienced photographers, some have been taken by novices.

Through this exploration, students should be able to see the incredible range of expressive possibilities presented by the pinhole camera.Slide47

Strong composition

Imagery from www.pinholeday.orgSlide48

Strong composition

Imagery from www.pinholeday.orgSlide49

Close up imagerySlide50

distortionSlide51

precise focus lack of focusSlide52

learning from previous studentsSlide53

Close ups

Imagery from Hereford High

S

chool studentsSlide54

close ups

Imagery from Hereford high school studentsSlide55

motion study

Imagery from www.pinholeday.orgSlide56

multiple exposureSlide57

multiple exposureSlide58

multiple exposureSlide59

strong, skyless

compositionsSlide60

strong,

skyless

compositionsSlide61

Sketchbook/Journal Presentation

Imagery from Perry Hall High School studentsSlide62

Sketchbook/Journal PresentationSlide63

Sketchbook/Journal PresentationSlide64

Sketchbook/Journal PresentationSlide65

Sketchbook/Journal PresentationSlide66

resources

w

orldwide pinhole photography day

pinhole resource (eric renner)photo.net pinhole pagephotographers who specialize in pinhole photography

Willie Anne WrightRuth Thorne-Thomsen

Justin

Quinnell

Wayne BelgerVera Lutter

Artist who uses the camera obscura in his workAbelardo

Morell