RE: Camera Size?

Thanks for your help Tom and I look forward to displaying some images.
If they come out :)
Travis.

-----Original Message-----
From: Tom Miller [mailto:twmiller@mr.net]
Sent: Thursday, August 08, 2002 1:28 PM
To: pinhole-discussion@pinhole.com
Subject: Re: [pinhole-discussion] Camera Size?

Hi Travis,

Comments are embedded...

----- Original Message -----
From: "ROBERTSON,TRAVIS J" <IS-TJR@womans.com>

> Thanks for your reply. I am learning about the science of pinhole
cameras
> and I must tell you my head hurts at times trying to figure it out.

Pinhole should be fun. Start simple and don't worry about optimal
until you already have some of pinhole's magical results.

> As far as the result, look at this web site.
> http://marthacasanave.com/lenin.html
> I really like the dreamlike quality of these photos but I would
like to
> have the images a little sharper.

I'm pretty sure that Martha Casanave made these images in 35mm and
with a larger than optimal pinhole. The dreaminess or fuzziness come
both from the pinhole size and from enlarging the 35mm neg. Most
likely if you're using a paper negative you'll get much sharper image.

> I'm from New Orleans and I want to make a
> photo gallery of the older parts of town. What I can not figure
out is how
> they did this. See how even the light is. With my oatmeal pinhole
camera,
> more light is located in the center to the photo and gradually gets
darker
> on the sides.

The darker edges on the oatmeal can images is from the curved film
plane. The amount of light that hits the curved negative changes
because parts of the curved film are closer to the pinhole than
others. Light can easily fall off by one or two stops across a wide
angle image. A couple of possibilities: to see what happens: try a
(small) camera with a normal focal length and a flat film plane (ex: 5
or 6 inch focal length for a 4x5 inch negative - cube shaped cigar
boxes are a cheap way to build a camera like this); or, accept the
light fall off and make it part of your image. In old New Orleans,
the streets are narrow and you'll probably need a wide-angle camera.

The even light in Martha's images results from the quality of light in
a far norther winter. A quote found on the internet: "St Petersburg
is located at 59 degrees 57' North (roughly on the same latitude as
Oslo, Norway, the southern tip of Greenland and Seward, Alaska)."
Plus, Martha almost always photographs on overcast days.

> Today, I'm going to find something that will measure the
> pinhole size. I have been cutting up a coke can and poking the hole
in it.
> I then sand the back down to try and make a clean hole. Does
anybody have a
> cheap suggestions that might work better.

Try using a disposable cookie sheet for pinhole material. The sheets
are a dollar or two at the supermarket. They are thin and easy to
work with. I've been making pinholes regularly from a cookie sheet I
bought in 1996. There are still a couple of pinholes blanks left!

> Once I get a better understanding of this, I will build the larger
camera.

Have fun along the way and please share your images with us. New
Orleans is fascinating.

Tom

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Received on Thu Aug 8 15:37:05 2002