Activity 6 - Creating a pinhole camera

Activity six - Creating a pinhole camera (Photography)

What is Photography? -
Photography is the process, activity and art of creating still or moving pictures by recording radiation on a radiation-sensitive medium, such as a photographic film, or an electronic sensor.

In this Photography activity we will be looking closely at producing inexpensive hand printed black and white photography without the use of expensive camera's and photographic enlargers.

What is a pinhole camera? -
A pinhole camera is a simple camera without a lens and with a single small aperture — effectively a light-proof box with a small hole in one side. Light from a scene passes through this single point and projects an inverted image on the opposite side of the box.

The principle of a pinhole camera

What you will need:

• two small cardboard boxes that are the same size
• Black paint
• A pin
• Aluminium foil
• Grease proof paper
• Black electrical tape
• Scissors

How to construct a pinhole camera:

·         Paint the insides of both boxes black.

·         When they're dry, cut a small square in the centre of one side of the first box. Using a pin, make a small hole in the aluminium foil. Tape the foil on the side of the box so the pinhole is in the centre of the square you cut out. Cut off the opposite end of the box and stick a piece of greaseproof paper over it, making sure it's stuck tightly without any creases.

·         Cut out another small square in one end of the second box, just big enough to look through. Next, cut off the opposite end of the second box. Use tape to attach the open end of the second box to the greaseproof paper end of the first box. Look through the viewing hole at the greaseproof paper. Use tape to cover any holes that allow light to leak through into the box from anywhere other than the pinhole and viewing hole.

·         Take your pinhole 'camera' outside and look through the viewing hole. You should be able to see the world upside down on the greaseproof paper. If you can't see anything, try making the hole a bit bigger until you get an image on the paper. Experiment with different sized holes to find out which size gives the best effect. The hole is called the aperture: the bigger the aperture, the brighter the image. But as it gets bigger, the picture gets more out of focus.

Hand made pinhole camera

Photography can be a very expensive subject for most schools. Many schools have eliminated dark rooms from their schools due to the costs of keeping them up and running. However i believe dark room photography is an essential building block and a great way for students to understand the functions of a camera and the developing process of a photo.

A great activity that is cost effective and easy to execute for students is the building of a pinhole camera. The materials used to create a pinhole camera cost next to nothing and can usually be found in and around the art room. The only costly item for this activity is the photographic paper and chemicals that used to develop the photographic paper. Photographic paper and chemicals can be purchased at the photographic company known as Vanbar which is located at Lygon St Carlton.