The image above required an exposure time of two Minutes, 10 seconds. Why? Because this was made with a pinhole camera. A pinhole camera does not use a lens, rather, it is a very small opening that has an f-stop value of about f150—a hole the size of a pinprick.
The results? Pinhole images are typically soft and feature a strong vignette. The look and feel of pinhole images are very distinct. Some regard pinhole photography as a medium of its own.
I like the look of black-and-white pinhole images best. So when I opened a box of expired Arista black-and-white film, I thought I’d give myself a challenge: take one roll of film and the Diana camera to the river park and explore with no particular goal.
I aimed to have no objective apart from spending a roll of film using only the pinhole setting on my camera. I would let the environment direct me as I explored various places at the river park: a tree fort made by kids; a gnarled tree missing a chunk of bark; and a path wandering under low-hanging branches.
This became an exposition of a prosaic riparian setting. I felt free from any pressure to share on social media. I wasn’t thinking about likes and comments. I just enjoyed stomping through the tall grass and wondering at God’s beauty as I pointed my silly little plastic camera at a log or a tree.
Moreover, it was a time to be present and decompress. This summer was stressful. This was a rare opportunity for me to take some time for myself and do something fun. Something creative. Maybe therapeutic.
The camera sat in my home office for about 3 weeks. When I finally got around to developing the film, I was beyond ecstatic about the results! Shooting on expired film can be risky. The results are not guaranteed. I was fully prepared to accept that nothing may have turned out right. But when I finally pulled the roll from my developer tank this morning, I couldn’t help myself. I could not wait for the roll to dry so I could get to scanning!
I hope you enjoy viewing these as much as I enjoyed making them. God bless!
—Justin
