Re: Teaching Pinhole to 7th graders

Hi:

I use ortho film and a special developer Soemarko LC-1. This developer
must be mixed on your own - it can't be bought off the shelf.

See Dave Soemarko's web site for details

http://members.aol.com/fotodave/Articles/LC-1.html

Its made up in two stock solutions.

You would need a scale and the 4 chemicals metol, hydroquinone, sodium
sulfite and sodium bisulfite.

LC-1 was designed to give one very good control over the contrast of the
film being developed. The working developer is made from mixing the two
stock solutions with water. Changing the proportions of the stock
solutions changes the contrast of the developer. (it actually changes the
pH of the developer which changes the contrast of the processed film)

Using LC-1 and ortho would pack a little more learning into the exersize.
The students could learn a little photo chemistry and perhaps an
understanding of pH.

I use ortho and LC-1 so I can make big negatives and contact print onto
alternative process papers. If you are going to order chemistry and get a
scale you should try cyanotypes - the chemistry is cheap, they are really
easy to make and process.

Ortho processed in lc-1 has a very low ASA only 1. You are looking at
exposure times of at least 5 to 10 minutes in sunlight depending on the f
stop used. Not possible to take shots inside, unless you are doing hours
long time exposures.

Gord

On Sat, 9 Mar 2002, Beau Schwarz wrote:

> Hi,
> My wife has given me the opporitunity of teaching a class of gifted (meaning
> 'divergent thinkers' in teacher lingo) 7th graders to build and then
> photograph with pinhole cameras. The proposed budjet is $50 to $75 and the
> length would be 3 to 4 weeks. I have done this 3 times before with 3rd grade
> classes. Each time we have had limited success.
>
> Building the cameras with shoeboxes or storage boxes has never been a
> problem. A pinvice and 600 grit is used for aperatures. Liberal use of tape
> and flat black paint corrected most construction problems. Getting usable
> negatives and controlling contrast has been our downfall. Previously we have
> used Ilford Mult. (for both the negative and the final image) and Dektol as
> the developer (along with other kodak products for stop and fix). The
> results were mixed at best, the few exposures that did print were had
> extreame contrast.
>
> Does anyone have a recommendation for what paper and developer to use. I
> have also noticed some people on the list are using Ortho Lith film, what
> developers and ASA would you suggest?
>
> If anyone has a fovorite site or a list of pinhole or howto sites, I sure
> could use it (you never know what a 13-14 year old will find with a random
> internet search using 'pinhole'). I have lost my book, "The Pinhole Thing",
> so any refferances to aperature vs focal length, paper negatives, developers
> (low contrast for paper or ortho lith), appropriate (for children)
> portfoleos, camera ideas, etc. would be appreciated.
>
> I appoligize for not keeping notes, sites, or prior discussions filed for
> referance. I have a week or so to get everything together. Thanks in advance
> for any help or suggestions!
>
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---------------------------------------------------------
Gordon J. Holtslander Dept. of Biology
holtsg@duke.usask.ca 112 Science Place
http://duke.usask.ca/~holtsg University of Saskatchewan
Tel (306) 966-4433 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Fax (306) 966-4461 Canada S7N 5E2
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Received on Sat Mar 9 11:24:58 2002