Pinhole Photography - help please!

Little Grey Cells

Years ago I got a kid's pinhole photography kit (John Adams) but I never used it. I recently found it again and want to have a go
Everything is still in the box, except for the instructions. Can anyone tell me what to do please? The camera is made, I just need to know how to take the pictures and develop them and all that.
Thank you!

Ghost Train

what sort of film or paper does it use?

aidanic

Hi,

Exactly what's in the kit that you have? There are a few commercial kits which make up a cardboard camera frame. Some take 35mm film, some take photo paper. It depends on the size of what you make up.

You should be able to see how big the film area is, and well, you'll know.

If it takes 35mm film, you load a normal roll, and wind it on as usual after each frame. You'll need to remove the cover from the pin hold for each frame. With a 400 ASA film, a second or two in bright sun light is all you need. Indoors, under just electric you could be looking at 10 seconds or more.

The film is wound up onto a reel within the camera, and you will need a darkroom, dark bag or photolab to remove the film for processing.

If the camera takes a 4" x 5" sheet paper, you can only take one frame at a time, and process them in a dark room in the "normal" manner. Red light, chemicals and so on.

http://www.pinholeday.org/ is the one good resource on the internet.

Miss aidanic's school is holding a Science night at the end of next week, and I'm up to my arm pits in cardboard building pin hole camera kits, demonstrations and so on.

PM for more...

Aidan

Dara Robinson

Hi Little Grey Cells, like the peeps above are saying more info is required. Regardless of what type you've got you will need the film/paper in a darkroom, a daylight bag or some kind of room that is simply pitch black. But it would need to be pitch black. If you can see around you or make anything out its simply too much light. When you turn out the lights and cant find your way around and cant find any of the stuff you placed down you have the right environment.

Answer the questions above and we will be able, well should be able to anyways, help you

LeoB

Little Grey Cells wrote: »

Years ago I got a kid's pinhole photography kit (John Adams) but I never used it. I recently found it again and want to have a go
Everything is still in the box, except for the instructions. Can anyone tell me what to do please? The camera is made, I just need to know how to take the pictures and develop them and all that.
Thank you!

There is a lad who posts here sometimes who does a lot of pinhole photography A.Partridge is his user name and he also posts in North Dublin thread

Little Grey Cells

Thanks for all the replies,

It uses 3" by 3" photography paper (says 'Kenthene Glossy 3' on the label, I don't know if that means anything).

Aidanic that site is great, thanks.

Still not sure about exposure time - think I read somewhere it's 2 minutes for paper but I'm not sure? And I don't know how long to have it in the chemicals etc.

Thanks a lot

aidanic

Little Grey Cells wrote: »

It uses 3" by 3" photography paper (says 'Kenthene Glossy 3' on the label, I don't know if that means anything).

Means lots! Kentmare Paper The '3' is the grade of paper. This PDF gives the full details of processing the paper (last page).

With a "paper pinhole camera", you need to load and unload it in the dark/red light, and develop it in a darkroom environment. Exposing the paper to daylight (just to look at it for example) will kill off any light sensitivty.

This YouTube video looks like the best (after a 30s search) to give the basics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpJOA4J57o4

dinneenp

Pinhole is the new HDR imo

DaireQuinlan

dinneenp wrote: »

Pinhole is the new HDR imo

What an odd thing to say.

The two are polar opposites in many ways. Pinhole photography is an absolute return to basics. All you need is a light tight box and something light sensitive, and that's that. To get your HDR on you need a pile of extraneous technological gimcrackery and a whole pile of bad taste.

dinneenp

... The new HDR as in it's omnipresent.

Chorcai

Ha funnly enough we are doing pinhole stuff in college at the moment !

Little Grey Cells

aidanic wrote: »

This PDF gives the full details of processing the paper

That's brilliant, thanks very much!