Category Archives: Inspiration

Inspiration Week of 6/13

June 17, 2016 Kier

Today’s inspiration is in 3 movements: the scenic, the abstract, and the impressionistic. I love all 3 and, when out shooting my own pinhole camera, often get twisted up trying to decide which to do. The following are some fine examples, to help open your eyes for the weekend. Need more? Check out our galleries of prior inspiration!

Untitled
[singlepic id=360 w=600]Untitled, ©Sarah Taft 2016[/singlepic]

Sarah Taft made this soft scenic capture in North Carolina while visiting family in the Fall of last year. She made the capture with her Zero Image and Ektar 100 and the result is some very creamy colors. You can check out more of Sarah’s work on her website and on her Flickr page.

Walt Disney Concert Hall
[singlepic id=361 w=600]Walt Disney Concert Hall, ©James Thorpe 2016[/singlepic]

James Thorpe caught this abstract scene with his RealitySoSubtle 4×5 pinhole camera at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Due to the harsh lighting in Los Angeles, James was challenged with finding a color film slow enough to get the time effects he desired. He made this capture with Fuji CDU II Duplicating stock – a film originally made for darkroom duplication work – which has an ISO of 4. James has examples on his Flickr page of other experimental films, such as Kodak Vericolor II from the 70’s, also with an ISO of 4.

Osterseen xiv
[singlepic id=359 h=600]Osterseen xiv, ©Michael Richter 2016[/singlepic]

Michael Richter captured this impressionistic scene of a forest by vertically panning his “beast” of a homemade pinhole camera, named “Vivian”. Vivian has a focal length of 35mm and was loaded with XP2 for this photo. You can check out more of Michael’s work on his flickr page or on his blog (in German).

Inspiration

Inspiration Week of 6/6

June 10, 2016 Kier

This week for our pinhole collection we set on a small exploration of the spaces we move through in a day. Have a look and know that great imagery can be made wherever you are, in whatever space that may be. If you need more inspiration to get you going, have a look at some of the work we’ve shared before.

kmym
[singlepic id=347 w=600]kmym, ©Aya Tani 2016[/singlepic]

Aya Tani is a Japanese photographer who made this striking image of Kumiyama junction at night. We selected this image for the way the dominating angle of the white lights through the middle pulled the image together. You can find more of Aya’s great work on her Flickr page, or follow her blog.

WWPPD2016 n6
[singlepic id=350 w=600]WWPPD2016 n6, ©Stefano Scappazzoni 2016[/singlepic]

Stefano Scappazzoni captured this image of a floating bridge in the port of La Spezia, Italy for World Wide Pinhole Day 2016. He made the image with Rollei CR200, but cross processed to enhance the painterly mood of this subtle portside scene. You can find more of Stefano’s excellent imagery on his Flickr page, his blog, his other blog, 500px, or Twitter (he’s a busy busy guy).

otworek z widokiem
[singlepic id=348 w=600]otworek z widokiem, ©Agnieszka Czaplicka 2016[/singlepic]

Agnieszka Czaplicka made this longing scene on photo paper in Warsaw, Poland with her homemade pinhole can camera. She made an excellent example of how pinhole allows you to make images that truly draw you in with such minimal materials. More of her work can be found on Flickr.

Pinhole
[singlepic id=349 w=600]Pinhole, ©Antero Särkelä 2016[/singlepic]

To create this photo, Antero Särkelä suspended his homemade 4×5 camera loaded with Fomapan 100 in the rafters and exposed it for 2 hours. We selected this photo because we were inspired by the creative placement and the unusual view of the room below – well done! To see more of Antero’s work, check out his Flickr page.

Inspiration

Inspiration Week of 5/30

June 3, 2016 Kier 1 Comment

This week’s inspiration sharing a small set on account of the work we’ve been doing on some larger features. As some of our readers know, we’ve been reaching out to find what you want to learn. Have an article idea? Connect to us on Facebook and send a message! In the meantime, if you need more pinhole goodness to fill your appetite today, check out our Spring recap!

Horseshoe Bend
[singlepic id=342 w=600]Horseshoe Bend, ©Mike Hawley 2016[/singlepic]

Mike Hawley is a professional photographer and camera operator out of Vancouver, CA. This pinhole photo of Horseshoe Bend is but one example of a fine repertoire of pinhole photos that he has on his Flickr site and personal website. We’re looking forward to bringing a larger set of Mike’s work in the near future.

Smoked Ribs
[singlepic id=343 w=600]Smoked Ribs, ©Kier Selinsky 2016[/singlepic]

This photo was taken by yours truly, at Cleveland’s West Side Market, which is America’s oldest operating indoor market. I have a weird obsession with markets – I don’t know why. If you’ve never tried pinholing in a crowd though, give it a shot sometime. The funky camera and long exposures draw strangers in to talk with you about what it is you’re doing. I’ve explained pinhole photography to everyone from kindergartners to cops to retirees to homeless folks – it really gets you some interesting conversations.

More Exploring
[singlepic id=344 h=600]More Exploring, ©Howard Moiser 2016[/singlepic]

Howard Moiser hand held his pinhole camera to make this shot while on his mountain bike. He was on an easy portion of singletrack near Stewarton in Ayrshire, Scotland. Howard can often be found exploring tracks first by mountain bike, and then later retracing by foot to explore further. He almost always has his pinhole camera along for these jaunts, finding his pinhole subject matter as he goes along. You can find more of his exploratory pinholes on his Flickr site

Inspiration

Inspiration Week of 5/16

May 20, 2016 Kier

This week ƒ/D brings some more photos that I’ve been very excited to see. If there’s a common theme to these, I’d say that they’re all moments in transition. Vignettes of a story – a day at the pool; traveling cross country; the vanishing sun at the beach; the setting of another day in the backyard; or a deep, full breath in the expanse of nature. When you’re done enjoying these, I’d invite you to take a gander at the inspiration we’ve shared in the past.

Nerja, Avril 2016
[singlepic id=337 w=600]Nerja, Avril 2016, ©Nicolas Dollman 2016[/singlepic]

Nicolas Dollman took up pinhole photography to free himself of the technical minutia of other forms of photography, so that he could simply focus on the exposure. Furthermore, Nicolas describes the idea of photographing moment – telling a story – in time as opposed to a single instant as “poetic”. The practice introduces a bit of meditation and mindfulness to his photography, keeping him in the moment. Indeed – I love this photo because of the hint of a moment in the two figures at the end of the pool. He made this image with a Zero Image 6×9 with a red filter and TMAX 100. To enjoy more of Nicolas’s excellent work, head over to his Flickr page.

Self Portrait
[singlepic id=338 w=600]Self Portrait, ©Craig A Coss 2016[/singlepic]

Craig Coss made this image with a Holgamods Da Vinci Mini Pinhole with a Polaroid back loaded with Fuji FP-100c. If you can’t tell, he’s on a train. Self portraits with the pinhole can be amazingly powerful. The trick is to work the angles and wide angle to your advantage – a standard self portrait setup will not do in pinhole. Craig really nailed it with this one! You can find more of his dynamic work at his Flickr page.

Dusk Pano
[singlepic id=336 w=600]Dusk Pano, ©Ingrid Budge 2016[/singlepic]

I’m extremely jealous of Ingrid Budge’s eye. Last time we featured one of her photos, I stared at thing photo for at least an hour. She made this pano image on the west coast last year, although she doesn’t recall where. She used her trusty Sharan camera and “cheapo film”. Ha! Remember that next time you sweat the small stuff! You can find more of her inspiring work on her Flickr Page.

Walnut Tree
[singlepic id=339 w=600]Walnut Tree, ©Darren Constantino 2016[/singlepic]

Darren Constantino made this moody capture of a walnut tree in the back yard in April for Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day. This is another example of the great results you get on pinhole when shooting into the sun. You can find more great pinholes from Darren on his Flickr page.

Bear Creek Lake Park
[singlepic id=335 w=600]Bear Creek Lake Park, ©Paul Bender 2016[/singlepic]

Paul Bender produced this deceivingly minimalist scene with his Zero Image 612D on a cold, rainy day in Colorado’s Bear Creek Lake Park. Paul’s story is one that we hear often: he spent time in digital, but it was pinhole that reignited his love of film and brought his photography “full circle”. The simplicity – the zen – of pinhole is a refreshing wellspring we can all appreciate. Paul has some more great pinhole photos on his Flickr account, and we encourage you to check them out.

Inspiration

Inspiration Week of 5/9

May 13, 2016 Kier

Every week on ƒ/D we scour the web for some fine examples of pinhole photography to inspire you to get out and shoot some pinholes of your own. This week is no exception, as we bring you examples of great captures and a very happy accident.

After you take a gander at these, if you still more, we have you covered!

Salthouse 2015
[singlepic id=323 w=600]Salthouse 2015, ©Andrew Bartram 2016[/singlepic]

Andrew Bartram made this captured this minimalist scene using his Intrepid Camera fitted with a pinhole and a 1 minute exposure, then printed on Ilford MGRC. You can find more of his work on his Flickr page.

Bilbao’s Guggenheim
[singlepic id=321 w=600]Bilbao’s Guggenheim, ©Paco Casado Cepas 2016[/singlepic]

Paco Casado Cepas created this photo in bad weather, at the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain, and without the aid of a tripod to steady his cylindrical tea can pinhole camera. The wind blew his camera off a railing during his 12 minute exposure. As Paco explains:

I was very surprised when I developed at home and saw such an interesting image. Chance, the unexpected, is from that moment not an enemy anymore to me. Actually I consider random exploring as part of the pinhole game, a different way of making images apart from the photography industry. Although we measure light, pinhole diameter and set up our cameras in a certain position, the intention of the photographer melts with the inaccurate and let something not expected ‘happen’. As Vilem Flusser wrote, “pinhole photography becomes less a program and more an act.”

You can find more of Paco’s work on his Flickr page.

Vibration
[singlepic id=324 w=600]Vibration, ©Nicolas 2016[/singlepic]

Nicolas Escoubeyrou captured the essence of this rowboat scene using his Noon pinhole camera loaded with FP4. Nicolas is using pinhole to aid his exploration of analog photography and various film formats. You can find more of his work on his Flickr page.

No Title
[singlepic id=322 w=600]No Title, ©Gabor Pal 2016[/singlepic]

Gabor Pal used to use software to manipulate or even damage his photos to create a mood, but now with pinhole he has no need for post-production manipulation. He made this scenic capture with his Zero Image 2000 and Portra 400. You can find more of his work on his Flickr page.

Inspiration

Inspiration Week of 5/2

May 6, 2016 Kier

This week’s set of inspiration bring depth and motion to the forefront. Whereas other photographers are often shying away from motion or seeking to freeze it, the pinhole photographer embraces it. Whether it’s a whisper of motion along a long pier, or the overwhelming tide of the beach, pinhole has a unique grasp on the sense of drama it brings.

After enjoying this set of inspiring photos, have a look at the numerous sets of inspiring photos from past weeks!

Pacifica Pier No 2
[singlepic id=320 w=600]Pacifica Pier No 2, ©Adam Weiss 2016[/singlepic]

Adam Weiss is a San Fransisco based photographer who captured this scene with his modified Agfa Clack on Fuji Acros 100. The Clack is about a 75mm focal length and ƒ/250 – they are very handsome old cameras that are well suited to a pinhole adaptation. Sometimes in order to make great photos we have to make great sacrifices, and in this instance Adam was hit by seagull crap shortly after taking the photo 🙂 You can see more of Adam’s photos on his Flickr page. In addition, he posts a new photo every morning on Instagram at @aweiss.sf. Adam added that: “I’m a regular visitor to ƒ/D–as a newcomer to pinhole photography, the site proved a valuable resource for information and inspiration. I’m very happy to see new content in recent days.”

Fair of the East
[singlepic id=318 w=600]Fair of the East, ©Emiliano Grusovin 2016[/singlepic]

Emiliano Grusovin is an Italian based pinhole artist, and he produced this shot with his Holga 120 Wide Pinhole Camera on Ilford FP4 Plus. The scene is of a fair in the eastern portion of his city of Gorizia at twiligh, which required an exposure of about 30 seconds. You can catch more of Emiliano’s great work on his Flickr page.

High Tide
[singlepic id=319 w=600]High Tide, ©Donald Tainsh 2016[/singlepic]

Donald Tainsh captured this stirring seascape using a camera he constructed from mountboard to hold 1/4 of a 5×4 sheet of Harman direct positive paper. He’s made eight of these cameras for a project that he’s producing, photographing the little harbors along the coastline of the Fifth of Fourth estuary on the East coast of Scotland. He’s titling the project “Little Harbours”, and this particular shot is capturing patterns and unseen shapes at the pier at North Berwick Harbour as the sea washes over at high tide.

Donald has been a pinholer for years and uses a variety of homemade cameras, bodycap/lensboard pinholes, and a Harman Titan. He finds himself drawn to pinhole’s unique way of portraying a motion picture through the passage of exposure time. Or as he describes, “In pinhole we record a continuum of moments as they pass into memory.” You can find more of his work at his Flickr page

Bronze Statue
[singlepic id=317 w=600]Bronze Statue, ©Shikiko Endo 2016[/singlepic]

Shikiko Endo is a Japanese photographer who made this dramatic capture using her pinhole converted Holga camera loaded with Fuji Velvia. The statue pictured is a famous Japanese comedian named Tora-San, and the statue is in Shibamata, a famous location for his movies. The status and the area are famous with his fans who make regular visits. You can find more of Shikiko’s work on her Flickr page and on her blog.

Inspiration

Inspiration Week of 4/25

April 29, 2016 Kier

For this week’s inspiration photos, we bring you five excellent pieces showing some great captures in wide open expanses. The weather in the Northern Hemisphere has warmed up, but the sun is still a little lower, making dramatic lighting more accessible than in the summer. If we do our job right, this week’s selection will get you motivated to get out there and make some fresh pinhole captures this weekend. Enjoy!

Evening
[singlepic id=306 w=600]Evening, ©Don Pyle 2016[/singlepic]

Don Pyle is a Washington based pinholer who captured this excellent vantage point of the Hawthorne Bridge in Portland, OR using a camera he builds called the Innova. A number of these Innova cameras are used in the wild by pinhole photographers around the world. The excellent results photographers are making with these cameras can be seen in the Innova Pinhole group collection on Flickr. Don captured this image on Ektar 100 film in 120 format. You can find more of his photos on Flickr.

*
[singlepic id=305 w=600]*, ©Pavel Apleton 2016[/singlepic]

Pasha Apletin is a talented photographer from St. Petersburg, Russia who’s been working on a series about the ships there. He made this photo during an early summer morning at the banks of the historic center there. He captured this on 5×7 film, which he sometimes uses for cyanotype printing. You can purchase this print here, or learn more about him and his work at his website, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, or Flickr

Jack’s Rake
[singlepic id=308 w=600]Jack’s Rake, ©Andy Werner 2016[/singlepic]

Andy Werner is as equally talented behind the camera as he is building one in his cabinetry shop. He made this photo of Jack’s Rake – the diagonal path running across the face of the rock – in the Langdale Valley in the Lake District, UK. The rock is known as Pavey Ark, and you can see the camera he used here. Andy has been shooting and building pinhole cameras for about ten years. So far the cameras have been for his own use primarily, and is currently working on selling small batches of his cameras.

You can find more of Andy’s work on his website, Facebook, and Flickr. His cameras will soon be available here, or you can get updates on Facebook.

Photograph After Visiting My Mother’s Grave
[singlepic id=309 w=600]Photograph After Visiting My Mother’s Grave, ©Cameran Ashraf 2016[/singlepic]

I love this powerful landscape capture that Cameran Ashraf made using his Zero Image 2000 pinhole camera on Acros 100 film. He made this photo while reflecting on his mother’s life and passing, and provided the following text to accompany:

“I took this photograph after visiting my mother’s grave on what would have been her 70th birthday. She had long feared growing old, never did, and passed away at 67. I didn’t say much to her at the grave, and though it had been years since she passed, I was still angry she didn’t stick around.

In the mountains north of her grave, I sat on this long dead log and let the day reach its close. The silence of the setting sun strongly called me to take a photograph, and as set up my pinhole camera I began to weep and said many things which my heart had desired to say to her.”

You can view more of Cameran’s excellent work on Flickr, Instagram, or follow him on Twitter.

Impressionistic Field in IR
[singlepic id=307 w=600]Impressionistic Field in IR, ©Marie Westerbom 2016[/singlepic]

Marie Westerbom made this awesome, ephemeral capture using IR film in her Zero Image 2000. She hand held the camera while making the photo over a 2 minute exposure. The result is a practically translucent impression of the field in a breeze. You can see more about the background of this photo on Marie’s blog, or see more of her work on Flickr.

Inspiration

Inspiration Week of 4/18

April 22, 2016 Kier

This week’s set of inspiration photos explore spaces that we get to know well. These photos explore some great opportunities that lie within our daily lives. Whether still life or layered action, photographing the everyday just takes a bit of seeing.

Dan Smith captured this unique scene while on a trip to London that he planned for his birthday. Dan and his son explored the Barbican Centre and the surrounding estates, which he found to be a real architectural treat. They had half an hour or so to kill before they headed home, and the limited light allowed Dan only a couple exposures as each was about 15 minutes. Dan used an Ondu Multi Format 6×12 loaded with Fuji Acros, and developed in Rodinal 50:1. More of Dan’s work can be found on Flickr and he can be followed on Twitter.

This unique image was created by a guy who goes by the nom de guerre of LitterART, in Gorky Park, Moscow. The photo is composed of 2 pinhole photos from Gorky Park with a Fujifilm X-series camera fitted with a SKINK pinhole lens. LitterArt describes the rink as:

“The largest ice rink in Russia and Europe. Built using cutting-edge technology, the rink is open from October to March, and is one of the must-see places in Moscow. 59 000 sq feet of the smoothest ice the world has seen, 4 changing pavilions, cozy cafes, great music and a magical atmosphere.”

More of LitterArt’s work can be found on Flickr.

Studies on perspective lines: Piano
[singlepic id=303 w=600]Studies on perspective lines: Piano, ©Jari Savijärvi 2016[/singlepic]

Jari Savijärvi hales from Jämsä, Finland, and became interested in Pinhole photography after seeing the results of his friends’ pinhole efforts. He was particularly impressed by how the pictures were simultaneously sharp and smooth, how the depth of field was amazing deep, and how the format provided the possibility to have super wide angle view without distortion. For someone who enjoys strong perspective lines in his photography, it’s a format that works well.

Jari started planning and designing his own camera with a goal towards Worldwide Pinhole Day 2014. He experimented with cardboard and various formats before deciding on 4×5. He fashioned his camera to use standard 4×5 film holders, and made the pinhole out of aluminum that he installed in a shutter to help control precise exposure times. Jari realized some fast success with the homemade camera and format when his 1st real photo with it was published by the Washington Post. You can see more of Jari’s work on Flickr, Facebook, and his personal site.

Jesús Joglar made this photo with a camera he calls “ladybird”: a 6×6 format Digna camera produced in Spain in the 1950’s by CERTEX that he hacked to convert it into a pinhole camera. He took apart the lens and fitted it with a pinhole, finishing it with a ladybug magnet for the shutter (thus the name). For American audiences: the rest of the world apparently refers to ladybugs as ladybirds – who knew?

Jesús’s ladybird camera has a 0.15 mm, focal length of 32 mm, f/213 value which all comes together to give a nice wide 104º view angle. The photograph was taken in the Pub “Rain!” of Manchester (UK) with Kodak Ektar 100, exposed for 50 minutes. Jesús developed in Tetenal C-41 chemicals and scanned the negative with an Epson Perfection V700 Photo scanner. You can find more of his great work on Flickr.

Inspiration

Inspiration Week of 4/11

April 15, 2016 Kier

This week’s inspirational photo set takes us from the beautiful sun of the Hawaii sky to the tranquil shore of SW France. Here in the Midwest of America, we’ve just finished an unseasonably late cold snap in April, and I guess the selection says something about my need for warmer weather. Pinhole plays particularly well at the shore, but as you can see from the following selections, the sea doesn’t always have to be the subject of a great seaside pinhole photo – it just adds to the drama.

Tim mad this image in early March 2016 at Ft Baker, looking out towards Alcatraz and San Francisco with a 10 minute exposure on HP5+. The resulting image reflects the “slow, contemplative process” that attracts Tim to pinhole photography. He made this image with his homemade 8×10 foamcore camera that was inspired by another design he found online (here). He added “double rabbet” joinery to the corners for stability and light-tightness, with a good dab of gaffers tape to keep it protected from the coastal waters. You can see his rig, complete with a wood platform for stabilization, at an image he posted here. You can find more excellent pinhole work from Tim on Flickr.

We’ve featured some of Ross’s photos before and he’s a consistent producer of compelling pinhole photography. He made this photo at Hawai‘i State Veterans Cemetery in Kāne‘ohe, O‘ahu. Ross provides an interesting snippet about this particular photo:

“Twice a year in the tropics, the sun crosses the sky and stands directly overhead. This astronomical phenomenon occurs in May and July and is called Lāhainā Noon. The day and time differs each year. It occurred over Kāne‘ohe on Tuesday, May 27, 2014 at precisely 12:28pm.

I stood at the base of this flag pole and photographed the sun as it was straight overhead.”

You can find more of his Lāhainā Noon photography in a dedicated Flickr Set. The rest of Ross’s expertly created pinhole photography can be found on Flickr as well.

Jim spends most of his photographic creativity putting black and white film through cameras that he modifies for creative distortion. But on occasion he does some pinhole and even some color. In the summer time he finds himself on the beach and this time he had his Zero Image 2000 pinhole camera with him. Without a tripod he hand held the camera and made a 4 second exposure. The result is pretty impressive. You can find more of Jim’s work on Flickr, his website, or his blog, and you can follow what he’s up to on Twitter.

TTkc made this wonderful image in an oyster village called Piraillan in Bassin d’Arcachon in the Southwest region of France. He wielded a laser cut wooden box made by his ingenius friend known as Ysalis. You can find more of his work, pinhole and otherwise, on Flickr and his Tumblr page.

Inspiration

Get Inspired – Week of June 29

June 29, 2015 Kier

We’re going to bring the shade of mood to the bright sunshine of June for this final featured photo post of the month. Have a look at the best we found in the last week.

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[singlepic id=243 w=600]/, ©Alex Fedotov 2015[/singlepic]
Alex Fedotov is based in St. Petersburg, and has a Flickr photostream chock full of interesting work. He works a lot in diptychs and in capturing quiet but powerful scenes with people.

The Fox
[singlepic id=244 w=600]The Fox, ©Gordon Szeto 2015[/singlepic]
Gordon Szeto made this photo with his Zero Image 69. He typically shoots landscapes, but for this photo he had a go at working with a model. This image is part of his series, A Girl and Her Mask. You can find more of Gordon’s work on Flickr and his personal website.

MUSE
[singlepic id=245 w=600]MUSE, ©Michele Welponer 2015[/singlepic]
Michele Welponer made this striking image of MUSE, the Trento, Italy Museum of Science using his homemade 4×5 pinhole camera. We love this image for the way the perspective and vignetting shows off the geometry of the building. More of Michele’s work can be found on Flickr.

Exploring the Art of Pinhole Photography