Matt Bigwood is a UK photographer who has recently been inspired to try out pin-hole photography with great success. He creates pinhole cameras from biscuit tins and beer cans before leaving them for up to six months to capture ‘an etching’ of the sun’s rays onto the paper. The resulting image is scanned on a flatbed scanner and then inverted to create a positive image.
The long exposure records an image of a 160-degree view of the arc of the sun as it rises or sinks throughout, say, 6 months of the year. Some foreground detail will also be recorded. The camera gives an extreme wide angle of view of 160 degrees.
To make my beer can pinhole camera I removed the top off an aluminium can with a good can opener. Using a pin, I made a small hole about 2mm in diameter half way up the side of the can before covering the hole with an insulation tape 'shutter'. I then placed a sheet of semi matt photographic paper curled around the inside of the can emulsion inwards, making sure that the paper doesn't cover the hole. Finally I used gaffer tape to seal the can with a light-tight cap.
My camera was attached to the rear of a tall cow shed overlooking the paddocks and left for 3-months. The results were interesting and the image shows clear arcs of the rising sun over an ash tree. Some rain damage has occurred and if I did this again, I would ensure that the paper was better protected from the elements and leave the camera for longer.
Good work, next you could add images of other people's attempts to show what you are trying to create. Perhaps take a photo of the view that your camera will see. Make sure you include photos of the making of, to be safe create 2 or 3 cameras in different locations
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