Pinhole camera primer

[MattAndre]

where can I find a 'good' primer on pinhole cameras, their use, their value etc. I am mostly into rangefinders with some SLR and a bit of digital.

 

[quigs]

How do you feel about video "primers"? I really enjoy Ari Jaaksi's pinhole explainers and demos:

Pinhole Photography Secrets: From Quantum Physics to Composition
Street photography with a pinhole camera

(His whole set)

 

[tcolgate]

Another video creator to check out is Martin Henson. He has covered everything from cardboard boxes to fancier cameras, and film and paper negs. He's also written several articles in print magazines on the subject. This is a link to a playlist but it's rendering as just one video.

 

[Chuck1]

The Renner book

 

[RalphLambrecht]

where can I find a 'good' primer on pinhole cameras, their use, their value etc. I am mostly into rangefinders with some SLR and a bit of digital.

feel free to start here

 

[Roseha]

Joe Van Cleve has a lot of interesting pinhole creations on his You Tube channel.

 

[runswithsizzers]

feel free to start here

Thanks for that, Ralph! I really appreciate being able to read about the topic without having to watch a YouTube video!

 

[quigs]

Thanks for that, Ralph! I really appreciate being able to read about the topic without having to watch a YouTube video!

Sometimes I use the transcript browser on the video for that very reason (if it is available). Some creators add useless filler to extend view time which gets on my nerves.

 

[fgorga]

A few books, if you want to learn the old-fashioned way.

I have the second edition of the "Renner book". It is a good place to start. Here is a link to the current edition: https://www.routledge.com/Pinhole-P...gital-Application/Renner/p/book/9780240810478.

Also... https://books.rsc.org/books/monograph/2202/Lo-Fi-PhotographyArt-from-Do-It-Yourself-Chemistry. Lots of other interesting stuff besides pinhole.

And... The Pinhole Camera: A Practical How-To Book for Making Pinhole Cameras and Images by Brian J. Krummel (see: https://www.amazon.com/Pinhole-Camera-Practical-How-Cameras/dp/1442187662)

One more... https://www.alternativephotography.com/from-pinhole-to-print/

 

[runswithsizzers]

@fgorga, thanks for the links! Added to my list of resources which I hope to look at more closely as time allows.

 

[fgorga]

@fgorga, thanks for the links! Added to my list of resources which I hope to look at more closely as time allows.

You are quite welcome!

Another good book that I missed on my bookshelf last evening...

Adventures with Pinhole and Homemade Cameras by John Evans, see: https://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Pinhole-Homemade-Cameras-Evans/dp/B0066J30FQ

 

[Bob Merlin]

The Hole Thing: A Manual of Pinhole Photography - https://www.amazon.com/Hole-Thing-Manual-Pinhole-Photography/dp/0871000474
There are used paperbacks from $11 on the right side of the page.
This is the book I used to start with pinhole photos.

 

[MattAndre]

Thanks everyone for the recommendations and detailed explanations. I’m coming from mostly rangefinders, some SLR work, and a little digital, so pinhole photography is a completely different world for me. I’m mainly looking to understand the basics first - camera types, exposure, paper vs film, focal length effects, and what makes certain pinhole cameras better than others.

I’ve got plenty of reading to do now and I appreciate all the guidance. Looking forward to experimenting with it soon

 

[tcolgate]

Thanks everyone for the recommendations and detailed explanations. I’m coming from mostly rangefinders, some SLR work, and a little digital, so pinhole photography is a completely different world for me. I’m mainly looking to understand the basics first - camera types, exposure, paper vs film, focal length effects, and what makes certain pinhole cameras better than others.

I’ve got plenty of reading to do now and I appreciate all the guidance. Looking forward to experimenting with it soon

More than any other type of photography, pinhole is about letting go of control, and visualizing your composition (because you can't actually see it). You can't use aperture to separate things, and anything moving will blur.
Get up close. Use a spirit level. Keep trying.
It's very freeing, but also quite chaotic, and frustrating.
It's also a lot of fun!

 

[MattKing]

When you first get into using pinholes for photography, it is really, really important to toss out all that thinking about equipment and processes and technical stuff and jump in instead to the midst of a bit of Garry Winogrand:
‘I photograph to see what the world looks like in photographs.’

Play is the most important component.

 

[tcolgate]

When you first get into using pinholes for photography, it is really, really important to toss out all that thinking about equipment and processes and technical stuff and jump in

100% this. The only technical bit is exposure, and even then the same (just that you are definitely going to deal with reciprocity failure). Otherwise it really demands letting go and just mucking about.

 

[absalom1951]

I've been interested in pinhole photography, I believe I'll figure out what I need to get started. Here's a page I found in Kodaks Encyclopedia of Photography, only a few pages but might help someone.