Assignment #2: Pinhole Camera Photos and reflection

First Attempts

Final Negative #1

Final Negative #2

Final Positive #1

Final Positive #2

When we first started learning about pinhole photography, I was excited to make my own camera and get shooting outdoors. We watched the video about Ann Hamilton, and saw how she created really interesting photos using her mouth as a camera. She was able to produce some great images and portraits, and made the process look extremely easy. I later found out that it’s not simple at all.

I worked in a group of five, and we were able to come up with the concept of memory and identity for our project quite quickly. We created four pinhole cameras in order to test the results we could achieve with differently-shaped boxes. We used two square boxes (one large and one small), and two circular boxes (one pinhole was placed on the top of the box, and the other was placed on the side of the box). Four of our group members had the same break between classes, so we set out to take some photos. We spent three weeks trying to create our images, and a lot of time running in and out of the EV building to capture our “selfies”, then develop our photos, then reload more paper into our cameras when our results produced nothing. The process was extremely frustrating, and every time we saw little or nothing develop, we grew more and more discouraged. As time went on, we realized that the circular boxes were producing better results, so we stopped using the square ones. We paid close attention to the light meter applications we had downloaded on our phones, as well as the time chart we had saved from the ARTE 352 Moodle website. Eventually it became a guessing game based on our past experience, and the amount of sun that was shining. We compared previous “photo shoots” and timing, until we finally captured our first successful portrait. Then we decided to change locations, and took our second portrait. I believe that we used at least twenty sheets of paper, two rolls of hockey tape, and ten hours of time in order to come up with our final images.

Taking the photos in the middle of winter proved to be a great challenge as well. Standing outside in the cold for ten minutes without moving was very difficult, and it was tough to hold the boxes without gloves (we needed to take them off in order to open the shutters). It was interesting to see the peoples’ reactions as they passed by us though. Some made fun of us, while others were curious and asked questions. We must have looked quite silly standing with our arms in the air, holding boxes and not moving.

After we had produced successful negatives, we then created our positives. The process was simple enough, but we had to look online for proper instructions, and ask friends who had already taken the course to explain the process to us. We tried different apertures and timing until we were happy with our final products.

Group work can be extremely challenging at times, but I think that we had a strong team that worked well together. We all listened to each other and took suggestions into consideration. We made good use of our breaks at school, and four of us took the photos and worked in the dark room together. Our fifth member helped out with the initial idea for the project, as well as creating a pinhole diagram and writing portions of the lesson plan. In order to create our plan, I started filling in some sections, and then sent it along to the next group member to work on, etc… until all of the parts were completed. We also divided the questions up among the group and each of us answered some.

This project was extremely time-consuming, and I would say that the process was more frustrating than enjoyable. I think that an actual in-class demo on how to make the pinhole box would have been beneficial to the whole class (I know that there was a demonstration on the Moodle website, but I’m definitely a visual learner, and appreciate a first-hand experience). There was also brief mention of creating a successful positive image, but no instructions on how to properly achieve one. Again, a quick demo would have been helpful to me. With that being said, I think that I definitely learned a lot about exposure timing, and the effect the sun has on the final photos we make. I also learned to trust my instincts, as well as take risks in order to produce the final images. However, I think that I will stick to an actual camera in the future.