(see larger versions by clicking the thumbnails in the gallery below)
Did you know that April 25th is Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day? I sure as heck didn’t until I got a press release from Lensbaby telling me it was. I’ve always been a fan of low-tech simplified photography and I’m pretty sure that photography doesn’t get more low-tech and simplified than pinhole.
A pinhole camera is a very simple camera with no lens and a single very small aperture. Simply explained, it is a light-proof box with a small hole in one side. Light from a scene passes through this single point and projects an inverted image on the opposite side of the box. Cameras using small apertures and the human eye in bright light both act like a pinhole camera. -wikipedia
What an awesome excuse to take a day off and play! Heck… according to the Pinhole Day Organization website we might even learn something about ourselves and photography simply by participating.
With your own camera, infinite depth-of-field, skewed perspectives, and slower exposures, you may ultimately become more creative and more selective about what you choose to photograph. Magical things happen in pinhole photography…
Pinhole Day has some excellent resources to help you get started with your own personal pinhole project. BTW, all of the pinhole photos in this article were taken using a Lensbaby Composer with the Pinhole / Zone Plate optic that was sent to us from lensbaby. Having never shot with the Composer pinhole combo I found it very easy to use and I plan on doing a more in-depth review of it very soon.
BONUS CONTEST GOODNESS! To help celebrate Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day on April 25th Lensbaby has launched a Pinhole photography contest. See the press release below:
Lensbaby® Announces Pinhole Photo Contest
Portland, OR (March 23, 2010) – In celebration of Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day on April 25, 2010, Lensbaby (www.lensbaby.com) announces today an open call for photographers to submit their best pinhole images, whether created using a Lensbaby Pinhole/Zone plate Optic or any other type of Pinhole camera, into the Lensbaby Pinhole Photo Contest.
Up to 3 winners will be selected as the best of the best. These winners will receive a prize bundle that includes a Lensbaby gift certificate for $150, a Gorillapod tripod and ball head combo (http://joby.com/), and a $50 gift certificate from Red River Paper (http://www.redriverpaper.com/). Popular voting will be used to help decide one of the winners. Acclaimed pinhole photographers Tom Persinger (tompersinger.com) and Craig Barber (craigbarber.com) will pick two additional winning images.
“With Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day right around the corner, we thought a creative photography contest for all pinhole photography fans was the perfect way to bring attention to this classically imaginative type of photography,” said Lensbaby President and Co-Founder Craig Strong. “We can’t wait to see all the artistic pinhole photos.”
Photographers can submit two images for consideration via http://lensbaby.com/pinholecontest. The contest begins today and electronic submissions will be accepted until 6pm, PST, April 9, 2010. Online voting will begin on April 9th and end on April 16th. The winning images will be announced April 23rd.
Submission Guidelines:
Photographers can keep these guidelines in mind as they choose their images:
- Any pinhole photo, whether taken with a Lensbaby Pinhole/Zone plate Optic or not, is eligible.
- The photo should display the elements of a great photograph including interesting subject matter, good exposure, strong composition, interesting detail, beautiful light, storytelling, etc.
- The photo should capture a moment or subject from a fresh perspective.
- Do not submit images containing full nudity or graphic sexuality.
For more information about Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day visit: http://www.pinholeday.org .
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