Pinhole Camera High school Photography

Mars · Sep 13, 2017

Hi everyone! I wanted to make pinhole cameras with my high school Photography class. We are using round oatmeal containers, the kind with a plastic lid. We are going to spray paint them black. Tape up the sides, create a lens with soda cans, poke a hole with a thumb tack, and use black tape for the shutter.

1.Am I forgetting anything?
2. What is a good rule of thumb for how many seconds to keep lens open?
3. I eventually wanted them to make an "experimental" print. One where they maybe make the pinhole smaller/bigger, add more than 1 hole, spin around and then take a pic, etc. Basically, having them start experimenting with different effects, once they get it down.

I had mixed results with shoebox pinhole cameras we made last year, so I am trying to anticipate anything that could go wrong. Thanks in Advance.

summicron1 · Sep 14, 2017

1. nope
2. for photo paper, perhaps 20 seconds in bright sunlight.
3. Fun!

BrianShaw · Sep 14, 2017

The only thing you may be forgetting is that, technically, it isn't a lens and shouldn't be called that. It is a pinhole aperture.

Neal · Sep 14, 2017

pinhole.org

pinholeday.org

M Carter · Sep 14, 2017

There are online calculators to work out the f-stop of pinhole cameras, based on hole size, film size, and distance to the film. Then there are exposure calculators. I keep a laminated chart with my camera that shows what and F16 light meter reading translates to for my aperture, and I also have a laminated HP5+ reciprocity chart based on research done by a user here. I shoot HP5+ or Acros - Acros often has shorter exposure times due to its killer reciprocity (no adjustments up to 2 minutes).

dasBlute · Sep 14, 2017

RC paper is slow, like iso 7 [but with no reciprocity failure], and is fairly blue sensitive [add a yellow filter].

But it is cheap, and develops/dries rather quickly. Then you can scan or contact print it and have get positives
within say, 20 mins of exposure. Thus, if you are prepared, this allows iteration, kids can see the results,
correct their exposures, get further inspired and creative and perhaps make 2-3 images before their attention moves along...

winger · Sep 14, 2017

I've made a few just like that with my local photo club. Don't forget to add something thicker to the lid - the plastic ones aren't quite light-tight. The pinholes we made were around 0.5 mm. I have a loupe with a measuring section in it. I used the first version of Arista Ortho Lith film and I think my best ones were around 15 seconds. I don't remember what times worked the best for RC, but a little experimenting should give you an idea.

I'd recommend making your own and trying it out a little first before doing it with the class. They'll still find new ways to get weird results, but you might cut down the bigger problems that way.

Mars · Sep 14, 2017

BrianShaw said:
The only thing you may be forgetting is that, technically, it isn't a lens and shouldn't be called that. It is a pinhole aperture.

Got it.

Mars · Sep 14, 2017

Thanks Everyone! Checked out pinhole.org and pinhole day. I will use all this advice.

BrianShaw · Sep 14, 2017

Enjoy. I'm getting prepared to experiment with pinhole too. Someone gifted me with a pinhole cap for Hasselbad. I'll be ready to go whenever I decide if that makes it a "HolyBlad" or "HassyHole".

winger · Sep 14, 2017

BrianShaw said:
I'll be ready to go whenever I decide if that makes it a "HolyBlad" or "HassyHole".

That likely depends on the results.

bvy · Sep 15, 2017

My first adventures in analog photography were with Quaker Oats boxes repurposed into pinhole cameras. All good advice here. I'll add that the sheets of thin black foam might work better and be less messy than paint to line the inside. Get them at any well stocked craft store (Joann Fabric is where I go). Cut out a rectangle to cover the inside wall, and two circles for top and bottom. You can push the pieces together pretty snug, and it's very light tight. Once you have one, you have a pattern from which you can cut the others.

Instead of pop cans, you can perhaps buy one of those large disposable foil roasting pans. The aluminum is a bit thinner than a soda can, and it's easier to work with. Use a slight pin prick to puncture the aluminum, then sand lightly with very fine sandpaper (800 grit or finer).

5x7 paper fits perfectly inside these cameras. Look for Ilford RC paper in this size. Just remember that only blue and green light (not red) will register. Skies will "blow out" (not show detail). Also, paper has a lot of contrast so you won't see much detail in the shadows (dark areas of the scene).

If your students are making the pinholes, they will range wildly in size and shape, so experimentation is probably the best means to determine exposure. Your best bet is well lit scenes -- i.e. sunshine (!). The light is consistent and the range of exposure not as wide as with overcast light. For full sun, try exposures of 10 to 30 seconds. If you have to work in overcast light, pick a reflective scene in an open area -- buildings and concrete for instance. Exposure times for overcast light can range from 30 seconds to two minutes which is why sunshine is preferable.

Mars · Sep 21, 2017

Hi! I wanted my student's to create a "special effects" picture with their pinhole cameras , like a long exposure what are the best ways to create a pic like this. Do we have to be in shade? How long do I expose paper for? Also, what would happen if they flap the shutter over and over? Any suggestions for cool effects would be awesome!

Mr Bill · Sep 21, 2017

Mars said:
Any suggestions for cool effects would be awesome!

Hi, here's a couple of things I might ask them to try. If your school has a merry-go-round, have them attach ( tape or rubber bands, etc?) the camera to the rails, pointed at the face of another student who rests his/her body or head against another rail. Then take the photo while it is rotating. (You expect a clear subject with the background completely blurred.)

A variation on this would be a small amount of background blur, like panning with a racecar, etc., to show speed. The student(s) posing could hold their arms as though pumping fists while running. You could control the motion like so: lay a yardstick near the outer edge, then set a "pointer" on the ground outside (maybe it's a cardboard box with a ruler taped on top so that it crosses the yardstick. During the photo one student can count seconds on a timer while another rotates the the merry-go-round at some rate, say 1/2 inch every second.

One that I'd like to see would be to have a group of students in a fake footrace. Again, mount a camera to the rails, this time pointing out. This time a group of students slowly walk around outside of the merry-go-round with their arms in the fake running position, holding this, along with a fake grimace on their faces for the duration of exposure, 30 seconds or whatever it is. While this is going on, a different student keeps the camera pointed by rotating the merry-go-round while "sighting" on one of the players. (you can attach pointers to the rails, perhaps a couple of pencils sticking up, to give better precision to the tracking.) I am imagining some hillarious results to this with blurry renditions of some over the top acting, and cartoonish fuzzed-out legs, but who knows? I'd love to see some results if you can pull it off.

Update: whoops! Now I see that it's a high school, so won't be a merry-go-round, I guess. What year are your students?

Mars · Sep 22, 2017

Mr Bill said:
Hi, here's a couple of things I might ask them to try. If your school has a merry-go-round, have them attach ( tape or rubber bands, etc?) the camera to the rails, pointed at the face of another student who rests his/her body or head against another rail. Then take the photo while it is rotating. (You expect a clear subject with the background completely blurred.)

A variation on this would be a small amount of background blur, like panning with a racecar, etc., to show speed. The student(s) posing could hold their arms as though pumping fists while running. You could control the motion like so: lay a yardstick near the outer edge, then set a "pointer" on the ground outside (maybe it's a cardboard box with a ruler taped on top so that it crosses the yardstick. During the photo one student can count seconds on a timer while another rotates the the merry-go-round at some rate, say 1/2 inch every second.

One that I'd like to see would be to have a group of students in a fake footrace. Again, mount a camera to the rails, this time pointing out. This time a group of students slowly walk around outside of the merry-go-round with their arms in the fake running position, holding this, along with a fake grimace on their faces for the duration of exposure, 30 seconds or whatever it is. While this is going on, a different student keeps the camera pointed by rotating the merry-go-round while "sighting" on one of the players. (you can attach pointers to the rails, perhaps a couple of pencils sticking up, to give better precision to the tracking.) I am imagining some hillarious results to this with blurry renditions of some over the top acting, and cartoonish fuzzed-out legs, but who knows? I'd love to see some results if you can pull it off.

Update: whoops! Now I see that it's a high school, so won't be a merry-go-round, I guess. What year are your students?

Hi! They are in high school 9-12. Awesome suggestions, though.

Pinhole Camera High school Photography

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