Photography Tidbits

When I went digital, I had a whole pile of film in the fridge that just sat there for a long time and eventually expired. If you (or your parents) have been into photography for a while, you’re probably in the same situation. But as long as you don’t expect perfection every time, even expired film can be used, especially for different creative projects using “alternative” cameras. The fact that it’s expired may even add an interesting twist to your photos.

April 26 is Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day, so I thought we’d talk about pinhole cameras in this article.

Making pinhole cameras out of everyday objects has been popular since the 1500s, and I’m sure you all have experimented with boxes, coffee cans, etc. While they certainly work (and some quite well), it can be inconvenient to have to load and unload film in total darkness, and figuring out how to get 35mm film to work can be quite tricky. Here are a few cameras that use 35mm and 120 film that can be loaded in daylight:

Pinhole Blender Pinhole Blender makes cameras from what looks like cookie and tea tins with knobs on top (for turning the film). They accept 35mm, 120 and 4×5 film (the 4×5 has to be loaded in the dark though), and are really very affordable, ranging in price from $20 to $80. Best of all, they come with instructions and exposure suggestions. You can obviously get as creative as you want with that, but it’s nice to have a starting point at least.

Holga Pinhole Cameras The Holga cameras, which originated in Hong Kong in 1982 and immediately became hugely popular with photographers worldwide, come in many different configurations - small and medium format pinhole among them. Both have one shutter speed (B), standard cable release and tripod threads and a pinhole opening instead of a lens. The 35mm camera has an aperture of f/175, while the medium format’s is f/192. A package including either camera, 10 rolls of film and cable release (highly recommended) is $100.

Pinhole Resource’s Hexomniscope For a truly unique pinhole experience, check out the Hexomniscope from Pinhole Resource. This 6-pinhole, 6-shutter, round camera uses 120 film and produces 6 overlapping 60 degree images. The shutters are individually operated, but have a single release. At $1,590, it’s not cheap, but the results are stunning.

Digital SLR Pinhole Camera If you have a digital SLR and would rather work with what you’ve already got, you’re in luck. Doing pinhole photography on a DSLR is really easy - just buy an extra body cap (roughly $3), drill a tiny hole in the middle, and put it on your camera. Instant pinhole!

So What Is Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day? It’s a worldwide annual event, held on the last Sunday in April, to encourage people to take some time off from technology and get back to basics for a day. You can use any pinhole camera (homemade is fine) but you have to take the pictures on that particular day (April 26 this year). Then upload your photos (so if you use film, you need to have it developed and scanned) and submission form, and if the “Coordinating Team” selects any of your photos, they will be displayed online.