I am sure I'm not the only one with piles of film from my pre-digital days. I had half a fridge door full, and just couldn't bring myself to throw it out. I needed a fun project to put it to good use.
April 26 is Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day, so I thought we'd talk about pinhole cameras in this article.
Many of you probably made pinhole cameras in a class at some point - out of a box, a can (I used a coffee can), etc. And they work fine, but getting the film in and out in total darkness can really be a pain, and the shooting is of course total guesswork. If you'd rather load a roll of 35mm or 120 film while being able to see what you're doing, check out these cameras:
Pinhole Blender's Cameras The "cookie and tea tin" cameras from Pinhole Blender accept 35mm, 120 and 4x5 film (although you do have to load the 4x5 in darkness) and come in several different configurations with 1, 3, or 6 pinholes. They all have 2 knobs on top to advance the film, and they also take a little bit of the guesswork out of shooting pinholes by providing you with exposure suggestions. These are great, affordable cameras ($20 to $80) for anyone who wants to give pinhole photography a try.
Holga The plastic, inexpensive Holga cameras first saw the light of day in Hong Kong in 1982, and quickly gained an almost cult-like status among photographers all over the world. The Holga pinhole cameras come in two sizes: small and medium format (for 35mm and 120 film). The 35mm version has an aperture of f/175, the medium format f/192. Both have only one shutter speed - B - which stands for Bulb and means that the shutter stays open for however long you press the shutter. Thankfully, they have standard cable release and tripod threads and come with (optional) cable releases, both of which are essential to shooting with these cameras. You advance the film at your own whim - make panoramas, double (or triple) exposures, or shoot "normal" one-frame images - it's up to you. The deluxe package, which includes either camera, 10 rolls of film and a cable release is $100.
The Hexomniscope If you get hooked on pinhole photography and want to give something truly unique a try, check out the pinhole camera from Pinhole Resource. The Hexomniscope is a round, medium format (120 film) camera with 6 pinholes (f/180) and 6 shutters around its body, so if you choose to expose through all of them, you get 6 overlapping 60 degree images. It comes with a CD with instructions, and costs $1,590.
Digital Pinhole If you have a digital SLR, there is a really easy way to turn it into a pinhole camera: get an extra body cap (around $3), drill a small hole in it, and use it as your "lens".
Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day This annual event takes place on the last Sunday of April and was started to encourage photographers all over the world to leave technology behind for a day and go out (or stay in) and take pinhole photos. Once you've got some shots you're happy with, upload them to the official WPPD website for review. This isn't a competition, and here are no prizes, but the best shots from they day, as selected by the "Coordinating Team", are displayed online. There are tons of happenings surrounding this event both before and on April 26: workshops, exhibits, lectures and more, so if you need inspiration or want to share the day with like-minded photographers, check out the listings on the Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day website.
April 26 is Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day, so I thought we'd talk about pinhole cameras in this article.
Many of you probably made pinhole cameras in a class at some point - out of a box, a can (I used a coffee can), etc. And they work fine, but getting the film in and out in total darkness can really be a pain, and the shooting is of course total guesswork. If you'd rather load a roll of 35mm or 120 film while being able to see what you're doing, check out these cameras:
Pinhole Blender's Cameras The "cookie and tea tin" cameras from Pinhole Blender accept 35mm, 120 and 4x5 film (although you do have to load the 4x5 in darkness) and come in several different configurations with 1, 3, or 6 pinholes. They all have 2 knobs on top to advance the film, and they also take a little bit of the guesswork out of shooting pinholes by providing you with exposure suggestions. These are great, affordable cameras ($20 to $80) for anyone who wants to give pinhole photography a try.
Holga The plastic, inexpensive Holga cameras first saw the light of day in Hong Kong in 1982, and quickly gained an almost cult-like status among photographers all over the world. The Holga pinhole cameras come in two sizes: small and medium format (for 35mm and 120 film). The 35mm version has an aperture of f/175, the medium format f/192. Both have only one shutter speed - B - which stands for Bulb and means that the shutter stays open for however long you press the shutter. Thankfully, they have standard cable release and tripod threads and come with (optional) cable releases, both of which are essential to shooting with these cameras. You advance the film at your own whim - make panoramas, double (or triple) exposures, or shoot "normal" one-frame images - it's up to you. The deluxe package, which includes either camera, 10 rolls of film and a cable release is $100.
The Hexomniscope If you get hooked on pinhole photography and want to give something truly unique a try, check out the pinhole camera from Pinhole Resource. The Hexomniscope is a round, medium format (120 film) camera with 6 pinholes (f/180) and 6 shutters around its body, so if you choose to expose through all of them, you get 6 overlapping 60 degree images. It comes with a CD with instructions, and costs $1,590.
Digital Pinhole If you have a digital SLR, there is a really easy way to turn it into a pinhole camera: get an extra body cap (around $3), drill a small hole in it, and use it as your "lens".
Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day This annual event takes place on the last Sunday of April and was started to encourage photographers all over the world to leave technology behind for a day and go out (or stay in) and take pinhole photos. Once you've got some shots you're happy with, upload them to the official WPPD website for review. This isn't a competition, and here are no prizes, but the best shots from they day, as selected by the "Coordinating Team", are displayed online. There are tons of happenings surrounding this event both before and on April 26: workshops, exhibits, lectures and more, so if you need inspiration or want to share the day with like-minded photographers, check out the listings on the Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day website.
About the Author:
DeeDee Dobson adores the color pink. On her blog, she talks about point and shoot pink digital cameras and helps you get creative with your camera
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