How To Make A Pinhole Camera?

Many school children in the United States, European nations and other countries have learned the basics of photography in elementary school by constructing a pinhole camera. This simple but effective camera will not only teach you about photography, light and images but will also provide plenty of enjoyment along the way.

A suitable pinhole camera can be made using items found in almost every household. In a matter of minutes, you can have a camera that will provide pictures for you to enjoy. There are a few different types of pinhole camera that can be made rather easily, depending on the material you have at hand.

It may be good to define just what a pinhole camera is first. Basically, this is a camera that works the same way a more complex professional camera works. There isn’t as much control over the type of image or the amount of light, however. But all cameras rely on a box or container that doesn’t allow light in through any opening except the one the user can control. The only opening you will need is the tiny pinhole in one end of the container.

With this simple camera, and all others, you will also need film to record your images on. This is the one thing about pinhole cameras that is exactly the same as the more complex camera. The film is placed inside the box or container and is exposed to light when the user decides to let light into the opening. In fact, the reason the hole in a pinhole camera is so small is that the film is very, very sensitive to light. In a more complex, commercial camera the user can control the light with different settings. With a pinhole camera, the light that strikes the film is only controlled by the size of the pinhole and the time the cover is left off.

Some people have found that a coffee can is a great pinhole camera “container.” Some science experiments in school have helped us discover that a larger hole in the can or box can be covered by a piece of thick, black cloth or tape that has the pinhole in it. In some cases, the user can try different size pinholes. But be careful. The hole must always be very small so that the light is directed onto a specific area of the film. Use a sewing needle to make the hole. Remember, you want the opening to be as smooth and round as possible.

Cameras that you buy in the store have shutters that open and close when you push a button on the outside of the camera. With a pinhole camera, you can make a “shutter” by using a piece of dark paper or cardboard and hinging it with tape so that it will rise to let light in the pinhole and drop down to shut off the light. You can make a “viewfinder” for you camera using wire or a similar object on top of the can or box directly above the pinhole. This isn’t necessary but it helps when aiming the camera at your subject (sort of like a gun sight).

Making the picture requires film or a fast paper for photographic purposes. This must be loaded in complete darkness so that that the only light that hits the surface is the light that comes through your pinhole.

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