Experimentation with optical pricipals can be dated back to the 4th century B.C. and the writings of Aristotle. The engraving above is from the 1600's of a camera obscura. A portable room was carried outside, the artist got inside and traced the projected image onto a piece of paper.

 photographic art

  There is a certain freedom from the constraints and confinments that make up the usual approaches to picture-making by using such a device. The normal and accepted method of photography is an exercise in controlling variables. Things like focal length, f-stop and shutter speed combinations for exposing film, compositional rules, and subject matter must be addressed when taking camera in hand.

  The pinhole camera uses no lens or shutter, it's so-called focal length is determined by how far the receiving film is from the pinhole opening. Some variables are eliminated and replaced by new sets of issues. What one would normally consider limitations, can be thought of as creative venues.

thinking outside the box

   Many photographers use the pinhole camera precisely because it is a type of anti-technology device. In an age of computer manipulation and digital imaging, there is still room to take advantage of and capitalize on the very apsects that make the pinhole unique. This simple, ancient technology can yield sophisticated and thoughtful imagery if one thinks outside the box.

Camera Obscura

 

Homemade 35mm Pinhole Camera