fotografi - the obscure

PinHolga

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 19:04:42 UTC

I love pinhole photography, and I love the Holga, so one day, I thought to create... the PinHolga. I'm sure this isn't a new modification for the Holga, but it was new to me! After unscrewing the lens, I created a pinhole with a Starbucks DoubleShot aluminum can and taped it to the opening of the Holga, seen here:

The first roll I shot was Ilford FP4 (ISO 125), but it was too slow, and only one shot came out half way decent. The second roll I shot was HP5 (ISO 400), and made longer exposures, and they came out ok. Here are a few examples:

The extreme vignetting at the bottom right corner was not intentional, it was just me not centering the pinhole perfectly. However, I plan on fixing that and shooting again soon, so stay tuned!

Polaroid('s) Back

Sun, 3 Feb 2008 01:00:50 UTC

My girlfriend and I had a bit of fun with my Mamiya's Polaroid back the other night. If you are like me, and are constantly amazed at what the photo world has to offer, I highly suggest getting into instant photography. It is almost as "instant" as the new digital age, yet it still involves chemistry and an intricate piece of emulsion. Seeing those pictures when you peel it from its negative gives me a much greater feeling than when I click "upload" on my computer screen... but then again, that's just me...

Camera Obscura

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 16:45:23 UTC

So in between writing papers and work, I had the urge to create a camera obscura. For those who don't know what this is, it is a "darkened chamber" with a lens or pinhole to create an image on the receding side of the chamber of what is in front of the lens/pinhole. In my case, I used my bathroom as my chamber, and covered my window with trash bags that had a pinhole cut out. But the purpose of this blog is not to simply show you my camera obscura, but show you how you can create your own! Keep in mind this is a bit of a sloppy tutorial, but it will get you from point A to point B. Ok, let's get started!

Step 1: Gather materials. You will need

darkened room
trash bags (or black opaque material)
some gaffer or duct tape
exacto knife

Step 2: Using your exacto knife, cut a small hole. The correct size of that hole will be different with each room, but a good start is roughly a little smaller than a dime.

Step 3: Now that you've got your pinhole, its time to cover up that window.

Step 4: Once you have fully covered the window (or other light source), step back, wait a few moments for your eyes to adjust, and enjoy the beautiful view that unveils in front you you!

Remember that the image will be upside down. Now, don't judge me too harshly if you think this is a poor example of a camera obscura (because it is), but just keep in mind that it was my first one, and that it was also the test run for turning my whole bedroom into one!

So now it's time for you guys to go out and create your own today!