About three weeks ago I went to an fascinating photography gallery called Lima Photo. While gazing at the incredible shots my attention was caught by one particular thing, recycled materials in a corner of the room. I was confused. When I got close I realized these recycled materials were actually PINHOLE cameras, made from yogurt bottles to jello boxes. Above the cameras were some pictures taken with them. I was astonished by the quality of the picture; the images were so defined I would have never imagined they were taken with a film roll camera. Once I left the gallery my head kept thinking about this, I was inspired by the images, so I decided I wanted to create my own camera. This is why for my IBG I wanted to experiment, and purse my passion for photography from ANOTHER
P E R S P E C T I V E.
P E R S P E C T I V E.
Last semester, during my photography classes, I learned how to work the manual setting of my digital camera. Today, I am learning why and how a camera works, and instead of learning how to work the settings I am learning how to make the settings. For the past month, during IBG time, I've been researching how to make a pinhole camera. In the gallery they looked so simple, but there is actually a lot of engineering that goes behind it. Through my research I've realized that is all about PRECISION and PATIENCE.
The first rule I learned was no light at all, one little dot of light and the exposure gets ruined. So in order to avoid this you need to paint the ENTIRE box black. Willie, when I met with him, told me a trick, which is to place a photographic paper inside the box, after its been painted, and leave it 15 minutes outside in the sun. If the paper remains white it means the camera is working because no light has gone inside. To build the perfect PINHOLE you need go through many iterations because it's all about trail and error. Like Willie told me, you don't want to build the entire thing and wait for the picture to come out wrong because you don't know where your mistake will be. You want to go step by step and test in between, instead. It will take time but you will certainly end up with a higher quality product. Going back to the first rule, it's very important to pay attention to detail and be exact. You will be amazed by how a little spot not covered with black can ruin the whole picture. Light is tricky.
Furthermore, as crazy as it may sound the size and exactitude of hole matters. The smaller the hole the more time it will take to expose the picture; however, this is what makes the picture look crystal clear instead of blurry. But the size of the hole will make no magic alone, if the hole is not a perfect circle then the picture will come out blurry as well. This is why for my pinhole I will make a square in the middle, where the shutter goes, and I will paste a piece of thin aluminum, which will have the hole. Making a perfect hole in a cardboard box will be very challenging, this is why I will use a piece of aluminum, this will allow me to make perfect circle by passing a pin through. Once again, it will take longer to do so, but in the end this will allow me to photography clean pictures.
Overall, from all the research I've learned how everything comes down to the attention you put to detail. It's the smallest things and mistakes that make a difference in the image in the end. This is why I need to go through tons of iteration, because once I build one thing I must test it and ensure that it has been correctly done so I can go to the next part. If there is a mistake I need to ensure that I've fixed it because in the end it is hard to determine what is the problem and it will take more time to correct it. In order to go through iterations you need time, and this is why through the process I've learned to be patient. It can get frustrating at times, but it would be even more frustrating to have to repeat the camera because of making careless mistakes in the beginning. Additionally, since I will be photographing people I want my pictures to have the best definition. This is why it's essential that I take time through the process to correct the small steps.
I am very excited about my IBG because I will not only be having pictures taken by me, but I will also have a camera made by me. Also I will not only learn how to make a PINHOLE, but I will also learn how to be patient and precise, two skills that are very important in any work place. Patience, especially, is one of the skills I am not strong at, this is why this project will help me reinforce that. I've been inspired by Lima Photo. The power of photography is immense and I want to move people as I've been moved at some point too. Camera roll photography, is more natural, more personal, and this is why I am excited to explore my passion from another level. I will experiment different recopies and pivot in order to create a product that I am proud off.