Pinhole Cameras

A Pinhole camera can simply be made out of the humble beer can. It is a camera that doesn't require a lens, however , instead it has a single small hole (Pinhole) that is used to take the photo. Basically, it is a light proof box with a small hole in one side. You expose the hole to light for a few seconds and on the photographic paper inside you should have a black and white image, after developing it in the dark room. This method of photography was often used before the time of actual cameras, as a way of capturing moments without technology. The Pinhole camera was invented by a man named Alhazen and he also improved on it, after realising that the smaller the hole the sharper the image. Many artists and photographers have now developed the use of the Pinhole camera, such as Chris Keeney, Mark Tweedie, and Justin Quinnell.

Justin Quinnell...

Justin Quinnell was born and lives in Bristol. He first used a camera when he was 11 years old and since then has become fascinated with not only photography but particularly pinhole photography. He did a fine art photography degree at University and now lectures on photography. He has recently finished his exhibition of 'The Sunrise Project' in which he took images over a 3-month period where he looked at the sunrise and then the sunset again in the different seasons. He did this so it would show the changes over time in different settings.

Justin Quinnell image analysis...

This Pinhole was taken in a primary school car park and you can vaguely see the fogged outline of parked cars behind the fence in the foreground of the photograph. This image was taken in the day time and you can see this, with other effects, from the white curved lines at the top of the image. This could be reflections from the cars or greenhouses. The idea was that, from the images you would be able to tell the time of day that the photograph was taken. I like the idea of behind Quinnells photographs in that you can tell when it was taken and the story behind it. Because it is a pinhole photograph it gives the image a curved or circular look which can change and distort the images and alter the perspective that we see it from. I like that it isn't just a straight image as I find it adds a more creative style to Quinnells work. Descriptively, it is a Pinhole hole photograph of a car park with the horizon and the trees in the background. However in my own opinion , the area he took it in could have been significant to him, and the angle in which he took the image could symbolise something deeper. As Quinnell did the 'Sunrise Project' as a way of portraying how the light changes in the day and night this could be linked to that, and this image could symbolise the changes in scenery and composition throughout the day.

Mark Tweedie...

Mark Tweedie discovered Pinhole photography and experimented with making his own cameras. He prefers to make his own Pinhole cameras as he finds it adds another dimension to the images he takes and the style of photography he does. Tweedie finds that the outcomes of his pinhole photographs are very individual and intriguing, mainly because of the pinhole camera itself. He exposes his images for a long time and by doing this, he thinks, it adds a certain narrative to the photo and tells a story. The simplicity of the pinhole camera and the Landscape that he photographs makes the viewer focus on the image and doesn't distract from the focal point. Tweedie has collections of his work in different galleries all over the world now and has perfected his style but still likes to experiment with different medias.

Mark Tweedie image analysis...

Tweedie likes the fact that his Pinhole Photographs can be somewhat unpredictable and you never know fully what is going to come out when you develop the images. In this image the background of the photograph is much sharper than the foreground and the blackened edges make the centre of the image more visible. The shadowed figure in the foreground is slightly to the left and this creates a more interesting photograph rather than it just being straight in the middle. Descriptively, it is just a woman sitting on a bench looking onto the sea and the rocks beneath her. Although in my opinion, the shadowed, faded outline of a figure could suggest a certain loneliness and emptiness surrounding this image as she is alone and in a vast Landscape. The line of the horizon acts as a leading line and although it is faded and not so visible it creates a good structure for the rest of the image. The fact that the scenery is more prominent than the woman in the foreground could suggest the significance of the scenery and of the woman. You can faintly see the sun coming down and onto the sea which suggests the time of day it was taken in, however the black and white effect creates an old and somewhat eerie feel to the image. 

Chris Keeney...

Chris Keeney is from San Diego and has experimented with fine art and also graphic design along with photography.

Keeney works with black and white and also infrared photography but he has a strong passion for Pinhole Photography. He uses buildings and also large vast Landscapes for most of his photography. Keeney also gets different shadows and figures from exposing his Pinhole camera from further away and looking up at the subject. He started using Pinhole cameras as a way of documenting his family life but has since turned it into a occupation. He uses big buildings and vast Landscapes from different interesting and uncommon angles to make his photography something new and fresh.

Chris Keeney image analysis...

This image was taken on a beach holiday with his family. Keeney chose to take this on a beach so that he could get a good perspective of the shadow in the centre of the image. The vast space around the shadow and the child in the middle make the centre of the photograph the focus and don't create distraction from the focal point. The black and white effect makes the image appear somewhat eerie and the overlapped figures create an illusion to draw the viewer in. The composition of the image makes it interesting as the subject is in the centre and the horizon is straight through the middle which makes the photograph appear as a planned arrangement. Descriptively, it is taken on a beach with a boy standing in the centre of the image, and with the larger, crouching shadowed figure over the top of him. However in my opinion, Keeney could be symbolising the relationship between him and this boy, by portraying him with a simple and plain background to enhance the importance of the child and to make the boy the main focus. The shadow of the boy overlapping him, makes the image more thought provoking and more powerful as this makes the viewer think about the image and the message behind it.

 My Pinhole Photographs...

 These are my Pinhole photographs. I struggled with doing this technique of  taking photos. However I did get one developed and you can see the faded shadow of the building in the background and the grass in the foreground. The image came out very dark and this is because I didn't expose it to the light for a long enough time, although when you get the image in the right light you can see the photograph. I used a light proof beer can to produce my Pinhole photographs and then developed them in the dark room. I chose to take my photo in front of the building and I elevated the beer can so that it gave a good angle and a different perspective. If I ever do Pinhole photography again I would change the amount of time I expose the pinhole for so that it gives a sharper image, because although this is visible it is not that clear.