creative acadamies: Pinhole Cameras (Chemical Photography)

Pin hole cameras - also known as camera obscura - is a small box or can which is completely black inside. the box has a shutter at the front and a tiny hole in the centre at the same end. Because of light an image is created on the wall of the box but upside down. This was the first form of photography and has very basic principles of photography.

A pin hole camera can be made very easily by hand. To make one you can get a small can to be used as the camera body, but this must have a tight fitting lid e.g. a clean paint can. The outside and the inside of the paint can should be fully painted black to make the box "light-tight". The film for the camera is attached to the inside of the can's lid, opposite to the side of the pinhole. The hole has to be cut in the centre. for the best picture results the pinhole should be roughly the size of a number 10 needle and the film should be distanced from the pinhole by around 3-6 inches. A dark piece of paper should be placed hanging by tape over the pinhole to be used as a shutter. For the pictures to be clear the camera must be completely still when the shutter is open. For the picture to be taken, the shutter should be pulled open for a few seconds before it is shut again. This should happen a couple of times so that the picture can be taken.

Pinhole cameras can be used for a variety of reasons, they are very inexpensive as they can be made easily by hand and they are also a very simple method of taking a photograph. They can show people how the very first pictures were made. I don't think that this is the best method of photography as the photographs will most likely be bad photos and it will be difficult to make sure the photograph that you want has been taken as you have to lift and shut the shutter multiple times for a specific length to get the photograph to take. It would also take a while for the photograph to be processed so you wouldn't be able to see what it looks like for a while. However, I do think that it was a good method for when it was first introduced and at the time was a complex and interesting feat of technology, I just don't think that the same applies now.

Below: a pinhole camera made from a box and tape