While the price of the Zero Visionwould cover a bit of film and processing, the camera features quality construction and has a wide following. In this format, I make an exception to my make-it-yourself rule, as two excellent starters cameras are available: a corrugated cardboard camera that comes ready to go with a quality laser-drilled pinhole (Available at Pinhole Resource, PorterГѓЖ’Вsand many other mail-order stores.) and the Zero Imagecamera. We also get multiple exposures from one loading of the camera. Many cameras are available to be fitted with a pinhole, a wide range of film is available and it can be processed for us. As discussed below with the Fall Colorimage, 120 film is an excellent starter format. The gentle curved plane of the oatmeal box camera produces pleasing images on a relatively large size negative. Two excellent starter cameras are the classic round oatmeal box camera or any old folding camera that takes 120-size roll film. A T-nut, available at any hardware store, glued into the bottom serves as a tripod socket. Note the yellow filter taped over the pinhole and sight lines on top. Regular ElmerГѓЖ’Вs Glue (white glue) works great and is safe to handle, avoiding potentially hazardous volatile glues that can also melt foam board. The outside is made of pizza box cardboard.

I made this mistake early on and have plenty of fogged films to prove it. Otherwise, the film holder end can flip open, making it difficult or impossible to remove the holder. Inside is foam board, including rails to guide and secure the film holder and its end flap once the slide is pulled. My bread and butter sheet film camera (this one is for 4Г—5 sheet film), built right around a conventional sheet film holder. Yes, I can talk up a storm with the best of them, but when it comes to art, I feel that images must precede ideas. More importantly, donГѓЖ’Вt shy away from doing something whose potential seems long exhausted. DonГѓЖ’Вt be afraid of trying something no one else has tried. If we start by taking pictures of what interests us, our friends, our house, a favorite lake, our vacation, that lamp in the corner, and get immersed in the core elements of light, form, texture, all else will follow.

Worse, at many college programs, the cry is for originality-whatever that is. No matter the format, this topic often stymies us, for so much excellent work has come before us. What do I take pictures of? Anything you care to. Remember, also, to close off the center of the T-nut with tape otherwise, light can come through and fog the negative. That strip can be excluded in printing or the matte board rail canЖ’В¬hoistГѓЖ’В® the film above the level of the T-nut. If the T-nut projects inside the tin, remember that it will cast a shadow on the film. Refinements include matte board film retainers inside and a T-nut can be glued through the bottom for a tripod socket. With their gentle curvatures and quality construction, they make great pinhole cameras. Save all those round holiday and gift candy and cookie tins. This is a great part of the fun and sense of accomplishment. While many commercially made cameras are now available, you can see the wide range of types and prices at the Pinhole Resource web site, I am a strong believer in make-it-yourself. Just about any camera or any thingfor that matter can be turned into a pinhole camera. I will leave the technical details of image formation, how a pinhole actuallyЖ’В¬works,ГѓЖ’В® to the references on my Web Resources page. I have some things to say about the character of the pinhole image but letГѓЖ’Вs get started. A decent, normal tonality can be produced on lith film by employing a dilute film developer, for example, D-76 diluted 1:3 or even more. Enlarging paper and lith film can both be used as a negative material and developed by inspection. The film was Kodak Commercial, unfortunately no longer manufactured, which was capable of excellent tonality and could be developed by inspection, as we do prints, under a conventional red-amber safe light. The camera was made from an empty box of 5Г—7 enlarging paper. Our work can be as studied and precise as traditional view camera photography or as spontaneous as loading some 1600 speed film in a 35mm camera fitted with a pinhole body cap and taking pinhole snapshots. Out of nothing comes somethingвЂљВќ and all that. The fact that we can produce a quality image on sensitized materials without a lens fascinates and inspires. Capable of astonishing, sophisticated results. Pinhole imagery may be photographyГѓЖ’Вs equivalent of drawing with chalk.

Pinhole film camera