PINHOLE PHOTOGRAPHY
What is Pinhole Photography?A pinhole camera, also known as a camera obscura is a camera that works without a lens. It's effectively a light proof box which on one side has a small hole that creates the image of the opposite side of the box, creating an inverted image that is then projected onto photographic paper. Generally, the smaller the hole, the sharper the image however overall the images created by a pinhole are quite mergy, soft and not very sharp. To get a sucsessful image you should use an aperture of 1/100 or less and can be exposed from 5 seconds to several hours and this can be manually operated by using a flap that covers the pinhole.
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Where did Pinhole photography come from?Chinese writers in the fifth century BC discovered, after several experiments that light travels in straight lines. This theory led onto the formation of an inverted image discovered by a philosopher named Mo Ti. In the later centuries optical scientists used the pinhole technique to investigate further into sunlight projection from a small aperture.
During the renaissance pinhole cameras were used for a minority of purposes such as astronomy, scientific research and art, however it was not until the 1880's where people began to use it as an art form. The main reason for artists keen interest on pinhole photography was because of the impressionist movement that inspired many artist to capture that same soft focus image within there art instead of within their photographs. |
How do you make a pinhole camera?
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Who is my favourite pinhole photographer?My favourite pinhole photographer so far is Mark Tweedie. After scrolling through many pinhole photographers images, his really stood out to me. I found his images very emotive and evoked a sense of desolation and sadness but also freedom and tranquility. Although these are opposite emotions I feel that because they are such strong images you can get such mixed impressions from them, I think this is also partically because they are very simplistic and unchaotic which therefore brings you further into the image, making you question the simplicity of it. For example-why is that man standing alone? Why are there no animals or people there? His work also captures the beauty of nature and the clarity of the idea that nature is simple and is brought to life by only people and animals, but doesn't really need much else in comparison to humans who are normally situated around more busier atmospheres. Here is a slideshow of some of my favourite images by him.
Here are two of my favourite images by Mark Tweedie. |
Out of all of his images I find this one significantly more powerful. It's moving and very captivating to the eye. One of the reasons why this image really works is because of the composition, you can tell the photographer has carefully thought about where to stand the person as she is very centred to the image making it symbolic. The mountains around her also help lift her up as if she is 'on top of the world' The arm gestures gives the impression of accomplishment and freedom which are also words to describe the whole image, this is because, generally when people put there hands up like this woman in the image, it is because you have acheived something. Another thing I have noticed is that the woman is standing face backwards to the camera which evokes a sense of mystery. By facing backwards, it reinforces the idea that the woman has accomplished something as she is facing towards the great land in front of her. This image also has spiritual overtones as it looks like she could be worshipping nature or even the sun. Although this image is seen as powerful and strong I think it also eminates serenity as the woman is standing alone, away from everybody else on this word.
Another element that works in the image is the strong contrast. Although there are tones in this image, especially in the background of the photograph, most of the image has a contrast of black of white. I really like this because it makes it more symbolic as it stands out more, especially with the shape of the woman's body as the contrast creates a strong black sillouhuette where the womans' stands, yet again making it more powerful. You can also see very faint tones within the whole of the image where the pinhole has given off a soft focus effect. This makes it quite dreamlike. |
When I look at this image it quickly reminds me of Ansel Adams photographs. Ansel Adam's is one of my favourite photographs and his photographs are quite similar to this however this image is different in some ways too. Here are some of Ansel Adams images similar to this one Although (at first glance) it could be argued that this image is 'boring' I think as you look deeper into it you realise there is more to the image than what you see on the outside. Firstly I love the reflection from the sky onto the beach, it makes the image less real and quite surreal as the reflection looks so realistic.
The depth of field is vast and looks like you could walk for miles, it also looks like there are layers in this image because of the contrast between the foreground and background. I think this image also a a beautiful sense of line. The contrast makes these lines more prominent which benefits the whole of the image as it defines it more. |
STEVE PIPPIN
CHILDHOOD
Steve Pippin, born in Surrey is an english artist who's famous for his pinhole photographers which have been created using sculpture and photographic knowledge. It is said that Pippin has distinct memory's of his father repairing wires and tubes when Pippin was little, perhaps this is the reason for his love of making cameras out of objects, in other words 'repairing' them to create something different.
INFLUENCES
Although Pippin's work is very original, he was always inspired and influenced by others work, these artist include Jeff koons, Andy Warhol, John Stezaker and Laurence Weiner.HIS IMAGES
The purpose of his images is to create a link between the subject of the image and the object he has used to create the camera which furthermore takes the image. For example in 1983 he made a bathtub into a pinhole camera and used it to capture semi-naked figures on the beach, next to the water. The link in this image is the water from the sea and the water from the bath and also the semi-naked figures on the beach and perhaps the semi-naked figure in the bath. Here below is the image of this, it is titled 'Beach Bath' which again reinforces the idea of the link between the camera and the subject. And another image of the converted bathtub itself.
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EDUCATION
Pippin completed a degree in mechanical engineering but soon decided to take a foundation course at Loughborough College (1981-82) and closely after studied sculpture at Brighton Polytechnic (1982-85) and at the Chelsea School of Art (1987) As you can see Pippin's interests in sculpture and art and mechanics swiftly lead him onto his career now, which involves converting everyday appliances such as wardrobes, washing machines and bathtubs into makeshift pinhole cameras. This sounds like a straight forward process but infact it involves a remarkable amount of planning.
CAREER
In 1999 Pippin was short listed for the Turner Prize at the Tate Gallery, London. He was nominated for his piece 'Laundromat Locomotion' which some people say is his most favourite piece/pieces. To get these images he converted a row of 12 washing machines in a laundromat into a series of cameras triggered by trip wires. This piece further developed into a recreation of one of Eadweard Muybridge's 'horse in motion' where he rode a horse in the laundromat to capture a series of 'in motion' images.
Pippin has appeared in many exhibitions such as freeze, he has also exhibited in many gallery's including Saatchi Gallery, White Cube and South London Gallery. As well as being shown all over the world his collectors include Frank Cohen, Charles Saatchi, Elton John, Dakis Joannou and George Michael.
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I really enjoy looking at this image as I see it differently each time and my opinions change, I love the varied textures in this image as it gives the photograph life which furthermore gives it a sense of reality. This element also ties in with the contrasts in this image, for example the rough pebbles in the foreground against the smooth house walls is a strong contrast, also the inky shadows from the deck chair strongly contrasts with the pale white skin of the man lying on the ground. The subject of this image is quite baffling if you aren't aware of the story behind it and you begin to question 'why is that man lying down?' as he is in an unknowing state, However, if you are familiar with the idea of Pippin's links between his camera and images your ideas begin to piece together, Either way you look at it I still think this image is extremely striking. The thing I find most conspicious is that the image is taken by a pinhole. Usually when I think of pinhole images it reminds me of a soft focus, dreamlike image however in this one its the opposite effect. The image is at a high clarity and has an almost total depth of field. This is probably because the exposure time is perfect, as its not to dark or too light, over exposed or too underexposed. This is evidence to show that Pippin took time planning this image to get just the right exposure time, and the result of that is a beautiful image.
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Here is the pinhole camera Pippin used to create the image on the left. By looking at this image beforehand it provides us with the knowledge we need to understand the link between the object used to create the camera. By looking at this photo it also makes you realise how much effort was put into making this and is a result of Pippin's mechanical skills.
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