Pinhole Photography

Diagram of Camera Obscura

Pinhole photography is when you create an image without a camera that has lens. The technique of of creating an image is letting light through a pinhole which projects onto photographic paper. This is also known as camera obscura. The image is projected through camera obscura and then we are left with a pinhole camera. Pinhole cameras can be made out of all sorts of objects. Anything from a spam tin to like a coca cola can. All it needs is some dark storage that would fit some paper and a little pinhole to let light through. Even a dark classroom can be used as a pinhole camera using the camera obscura technique. 

Example of a pinhole image

This is an example image that is made from a pinhole camera. In this image, you can see the effects that are used. Firstly, there is a vignette effect that gives it this dark edges. The contrast seems to be adjusted a touch high to make it bold. The colours are also boosted to make it vibrant. In addition, this example consists of moving people which gives it the blur effect. Also, I've noticed that the middle is the lightest part of the image. Perhaps this is because that's the direct spot of the light entering on the pinhole camera.

My examples: 

This is my first pinhole effect experiment. I like this example because the pinhole effects make the image look very retro. I like how it doesn't look too desaturated and there's this red filter look to it. I think the blur works well with the image because even the flowers blurred which makes the flower in the far end the main centre of attention. I like the colours of the image because it gives this warmth feeling to an extent. The interior design of this new architecture is also very homely. 

In comparison to the previous image, this is a very different look with the vibrant colours. This is more of a desaturated type with the same vignette effect. In my opinion, this image looks much more dull because the lack of colour and the high contrast. It just gives this grunge effect which gives a unique effect on the architecture. 

This is another pinhole effect image. I like the way the technique is portrayed in this image. With the way the vignette darkens the edges. And the blur gives it this soft focus look. The colours are also visible so it doesn't make the image look too dull. I think this is the closest experiment I have to a pinhole image the effects are spot on in my opinion.

This image is leading towards this grunge element. However, I like the way the techniques really enhances the architecture because of the way the image is composed. The vignette gives this dark tone overall. Then you have this blur look with the deep contrast. I think the lighting plays a big role in the image because the brightness on the glass there stands out the most.

This example didn't really work out the best compared to the others. I think you can slightly see it work with the vignette but I think it looks too similar to the actual image. I didn't really notice this as I was editing it till I am writing about it. It does also have a reduced saturation so I suppose it does have the features of a pinhole image has.

Lastly, this is my final pinhole image. I like the vignette in this image because it is really visible on the architecture of the rooftop. You can see how it just changes tones which does make it eye catching. I've reduced the saturation and adjusted the contrast a little higher. It's the same technique as my other examples but with this chosen image because the whole image is revolving around that rooftop and the reflection of the grid.

Overall, this task wasn't too hard because the effects were fairly simple to follow. I think it's amusing to see how each image differs even when you use the same technique. Some just tends to look better than the other. But this technique could be handy because it does enhance some features in the image.