Evaluation

For my pinhole camera I used an OXO tin, although if I did this project again I would use a cardboard box or Pringles tube, as they are easier to cut into and the paint would dry faster so they are easier to make. Also the paint didn’t completely cover the inside of the tin as I was basically pushing it around on the surface. I would also use a bigger container so I could make a bigger photo, also a Pringles tube can hold the photo better because it is curved.

It was a sunny day so the exposure time had to be quite low and also my tin was quite small so the exposure time was reduced even more. At first I left it for a minute, but when it was overexposed I reduced it to 15 seconds and it was overexposed again, after it overexposed when I left it for 2 seconds I borrowed someone’s Pringles tube camera instead.

I only had time to take one picture and it didn’t develop enough, however I think It has a good effect, like street lights at night.

If I did this again I would monitor how long I left it in the developer for, as the first photos came out black I think I underestimated how long it would take.

It did not go as well as I’d hoped and I did not obtain a clear picture, however if I did this project again I would understand how to use the camera better and would hopefully take some better photos in better places where there is less light.

I feel this project has given me an insight into how a camera works, and I enjoyed trying take a picture with such a simple handmade camera.

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Pinhole Camera Process

Pinhole photography uses simple principles of light. A pinhole camera Uses a box with a pinhole at the front and a piece of photographic paper at the back, the light imprints an image on the paper creating a negative image, depending on the size of the box it is left for between 4 and 6 minutes indoors, or 15 seconds to a minute outside (as there is more light, hence the process occurs faster). The paper is then developed in the darkroom. Developing contains 3 stages, stage 1: The photo is placed in the developer, a chemical that brings out the image of the photo; it is normally left for between 30 seconds and a minute. Stage 2: The photo is placed in a bowl of water to clean off the developer for roughly 10 seconds. Stage 3: The photo is put in the fixer for 30 seconds; this stops it from developing too much. It Is then possible to take it into the light to decide whether it is worth keeping, if it is then it is placed back in the fixer for 30 seconds so the image does not fade. It is then scanned onto the computer and opened on photo shop; the colour is then inversed on photo shop to make a positive image.

Before

If the photo is left exposed for too long, it goes black and if it isn't left for long enough it stays white, my pinhole camera was quite small, and it was a sunny day when i took the photo so i had to reduce the time as more light got through the pinhole. Sadly this after the paper went black exposed for two seconds I abandoned my camera for a pringles container pinhole camera, however due to a lack of time, I could not experiment with the exposure and had a white photo. 



After

The pinhole camera process has been improved in many ways over the years on the long journey to the digital cameras we use today. The First development was called the 'Calotype' method that allowed the production of multiple copies at once. This was developed in the 1840's. Not much later in the 1850's photographers started filming underwater. in the 1880's Kodak was started by George Eastman who invented rolls of film for consumer use. The flash bulb was invented in 1927 by The 'General Electric Co.', although the flash was invented long before by German researchers using powder.
In 1948 Polaroid cameras were introduced into the market and American scientist Edwin Land finally created the instant camera as we know it today.
In 1951 the camera branched out as the first video tape recorder (VTR) invented by Charles Ginsburg and his team at Ampex Corporation.
Later 'Polaroid Corporation' created the instant colour film in 1963 along with colour television released at a simular time.

In 1972 a camera that does not need film was invented by 'Texas Instruments' although it was still far away from a digital camera.
Finally in 1994 the 'Apple Quicktake' digital camera was invented closely followed by Sony, kodak and Casio digital cameras in close succession.