There hasn’t been an art show yet that someone hasn’t walked in my booth and asked me “So what do you shoot with?” I can’t wait to answer. “I shot this with a cigar box.”
This is another photograph taking on the “you must have a nice camera” misconception. I took things to the extreme here and didn’t use a camera or a lens at all, this is a pinhole photograph.
A pinhole camera is basically any light tight box with a sheet of film inside and a small aperture in the side of the box to let light in to expose the film. In this case a cigar box with a sheet of 4×5 black and white film. It sounds easy, and in theory it is, but I’ve spent 3 days getting this to work. I kind of like the look. I’m going to spend some more time on this!
Here is the camera, shown with the “shutter” open. The shutter is gaffer tape. The lens is a thin sheet of stainless with a small hole drilled in it. I also added a tripod mount with some super glue to the bottom being exposure times are at least 30 seconds in full sun. The above photo was 4 minutes.
Wow! I love this. (And I love the reply for those art show inquiring minds…) I’ve had making a pin hole camera on my list of “want to do’s” for years, never realized that was such a complicated venture, though. Are you also shooting with a Brownie camera? That was my first camera back in the 50s. Cameron, could we please have a play day and you could show me your amazing cameras and resulting photos? One more time, Wow!
Sure, we’ll have to have you two over again soon and I can show you the new “camera equipment”