Pinhole Camera Web
Pinhole Camera Web
Pinhole Camera Web
Published in The Technology Teacher, November, 2009, by the International Technology Education Association
Step 1: Reversed film canister
Using bottle opener, carefully pop off one side of an old film canister. Work gently and slowly around the edge of the cap, prying only slightly each time until the cap is released from the sides of the canister.
Step 2: Shutter
Step 3: Pinhole
Using a circular motion, carefully push just the tip of a push-pin or needle into a small piece of thin aluminum. The pinhole should be very, very small!
Flip canister over, but not spool. Remove the spool from the canister. Scotchtape the end of a 4-inch length of old film to the spool, as shown, and reinsert the spool into the canister upside down. Scotch-tape
Tape the end of a new roll of film onto the piece of old film on the reversed film canister. Tape both sides.
Except for the back plate, tape the film chamber together with Scotch tape, then light-proof it with black electrical tape. Put it up to the light and make sure no light comes through the seams. Tape the piece of aluminum containing the pinhole onto the front of the film chamber with black electrical tape, centering it over hole.
Except for the back panel, tape the camera body together with Scotch tape. Then light-proof it with black electrical tape.Put it up to the light and make sure no light comes through the seams.
Note that film splice looks different on back, where narrow leader does not show. Tab Place the film down over the film chamber window and carefuly slip tabs on each side of the film chamber into film canister. Close back plate flap over film and secure with Scotch tape.
Tape the shutter onto the front of the camera body with Scotch tape. Then light-proof it with black electrical tape.
Back plate
Apply black electrical tape to light-proof film chamber and hold film canisters in place.
Published in The Technology Teacher, November, 2009, by the International Technology Education Association
Tape this exposure guide to the back of your camera Back Panel 1 to 2 seconds 5 to 10 seconds 1 to 3 minutes 10 to 15 minutes Shutter
REWIND
WIND
Camera Body
Film Chamber
Shutter
Published in The Technology Teacher, November, 2009, by the International Technology Education Association
Taking pictures Consult the exposure guide that you taped to the back of the camera. Because of the long (1 second to 15 minutes or more) exposure times needed, its best to set the camera on a solid surface so it wont move during exposures. Pull the shutter tab up to expose lm, and push it back down at the end of the desired exposure time. Try not to jiggle the camera when you open and close the shutter. Dont forget to advance the lm! Turn the winder stick one complete 360 turn right after every picture you take. Photos taken with a pinhole camera are different from other photos. They are usually a little fuzzy. However, all parts of the image will be equally in focus, which may give the image a soft, ethereal quality. Keep a record of exposure times while taking pictures for the rst roll or two of lm to help you learn the idiosyncrasies of your camera. Unloading lm from camera When you get to the end of the roll, you will feel resistance in the winder stick. Switch the stick to the new lm spool and rewind the lm back into its canister. Stop when you feel resistance. Your exposed lm is safely back in its light-proof canister. Carefully remove the tape sealing the back of the camera, and remove the lm chamber. Remove the tape from the back plate and lm canisters and slip the tabs out of the canisters. Remove the tape splicing the new lm to the piece of old lm taped to the reversed lm canister. Use the Popsicle stick to wind the end of the new lm into its canister. Have lm processed and printed by a 1-hour Photo or similar service. Be sure to tell the technician that the lm is from a homemade pinhole camera, and warn them that gaps between the exposed areas will vary. If your prints come back cut off in the wrong places or if unexposed areas of the lm are printed, ask them to print them again correctly at no charge. Types of pictures to try Indoors, up close to small, intricate objects, see how much detail you can record. Take multiple photos of the same object at varying distances (making note of the distances), and see how the eld of view is affected (that is, wide angle or narrow angle view). Take pictures outside in sun and in shade, or on a cloudy day. Try capturing the night, outside, on a busy street with automobile trafc passing by. You may need exposure times of 10 minutes or more. Take a 10-15 minute night ride in the car on city streets. Tape the camera to the cars dashboard. You
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Night drive. will get a true recording of light and time! Make a portrait of yourself or someone else, in good light so your subject doesnt have to hold still too long. Try playing around with movement during the exposurelike having the subject move his or her head to appear to have two heads! Search for Web sites on pinhole photography to see photo galleries that may give you more ideas.
Discussion questions
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. How does the Galaxy Evolution Explorer take images of very faint and faraway objects? Why does a pinhole camera not need a lens? Why are the needed exposure times for photos using a pinhole camera usually longer than for a lens camera? What would happen if the pinhole in the camera were too large? What might happen if the pinhole in the camera were not round? How would the focus of the photos be affected if you could make the pinhole even smaller? How would the exposure time for the photos be affected if you could make the pinhole even smaller? Do you think the size of the box matters when making a pinhole camera? Why is the image recorded on the lm inverted in a camera? Do the photos from your pinhole camera express a view of the world a little different from sharp, hightech photos?
This article was written by Diane Fisher and Alexander Novati. Ms. Fisher is writer of The Space Place website at spaceplace.nasa.gov. Mr. Novati is designer and illustrator of The Space Place. The article was provided through the courtesy of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.