The Pinhole Camera

The course that I have been taking over the last couple of weeks is called Light, Sound, and Time. This unit focuses on light. We learned about lightwaves, how they function and how they interact with each other. We learned about the electromagnetic spectrum which is essentially what shows the different types of wavelengths. We also learned different math concepts including the unit circle and trigonometry. Along with using math concepts from previous terms, we learned about the eye, how it functions and the different components of it.

This action project, I was able to use my knowledge of light and imagery to try and capture an image using photography. The device I have created is called a pinhole camera and it captures lights through a small hole on the side of the container. In order for the camera to properly work, it must be completely black and let no light in besides through the small hole created. I used black paint and duct tape around my container because black absorbs the most light, it is the absence of color and therefore will not interfere with the image being developed.

When studying light, a phenomenon that we can look into is reflection and refraction. Reflection is the act of light bouncing off a material rather than absorbing or going through it which is what refraction is identified as. Refraction often changes its direction once passing through a material.

My pinhole camera is neither an example of refraction or reflection because the light is absorbed by the black paint making sure the only light exposure comes from the light through the pinhole and onto the film paper to create an image.

 

(KH, Pinhole Camera. 2022)

                                                        (KH, Pinhole Camera. 2022)
 

Below, you will see equations that explain how much distance is needed in order for the camera to  get an image of the designated object.


distance from my lens to my photo paper

3.75 in


height of my pinhole

4.25 in


height of my subject

5.5 in

minimum distance my camera has to be away from your subject to capture it completely?

1.09 in

I decided to set my camera up outside so that it could get lots of natural light expose since I opened the shutter. I left the shutter open for about 5 minutes so that it could get enough light. After capturing my image, I put the photo paper through developing, stopping and fixing chemicals to preserve the image.

(KH, Final Image, 2022)

I had a lot of fun creating this action project. I feel like I learned a lot about photography and light in general. I think I could be interesting to try other techniques to create images. I hope you enjoyed seeing my creation and could possibly learn something from my experience.