Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day

Photo by Vijay Ramakrishnan

I probably don't need to tell you this, because everyone who cares already knows, and everyone who doesn't know doesn't care—but yesterday was Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day.

And if you're not 100% clear on what pinhole photography is, you're in luck—Larry Bullis, Tom Lindsay, Guillermo Peñate, Howard Wells, George L. Smyth, Brigitte Harper, Gordon J. Holtslander, and Gregg Kemp prepared a succinct but informative Pinhole FAQ page in 2003 (remember when FAQ pages were all the rage on the Web?) at the pinholeday.org website.

The illustration is Yr. Hmbl. Ed. cheating on the PDBlur entries again—as you know, whenever we have a Baker's Dozen I find a way to show you a few more pictures than the basic 13. This one is by Vijay Ramakrishnan, of Pleasanton, California, USA, who writes: "I have a deep-rooted connection with trees that I can’t quite put into words. They are my favorite subjects, especially oaks. This pinhole photograph is very much an exception to my typical treatment of trees, which tends to have the clarity and sharpness of traditional landscapes. The blur from the long exposure and the fuzziness of pinhole photos give them a dreamy quality that I love. This is one of my favorite tree photos, perhaps because it’s more reflective of the hazy but strong attraction I feel toward them. It was a two-minute exposure on 4x5 film, taken with a Santa Barbara pinhole camera at Filoli Gardens, about 30 miles south of San Francisco."

I like it too. And I like it for the Blur contest because the blur is caused both by the pinhole aperture and by flare, which works well in combination. (Vijay's picture will of course still be considered for the Baker's Dozen; it has obviously already made the first cut.)

Lensless 4x5" Pinhole Camera

Vijay's Santa Barbara camera, which as far as I can tell is no longer available, was made by the Lensless Camera Mfg. Co. in Fernley, Nevada, USA. Its 4x5-inch cameras are great if you don't want to make your own—you can customize film size, effective focal length, and wood type.

Naturally, they're not expensive.

Mike

Original contents copyright 2023 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. (To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below or on the title of this post.)

Featured Comments from:

Comments

[Herman Krieger]

Photo made with Argoflex camera converted to a pinhole camera-

[Dillan]

I too have a fascination with trees. I understand Vijay's passion! My favourite trees are aspens. Unfortunately, I have nothing blurry to share:

[darlene]

Pinhole photography is very liberating; it's like going braless. But then most of your audience won't understand it. Thanks for acknowledging it to those that will. Lovely image as well!

[Daniel]

Why not plan on announcing your BAkers Dozen - for next years Worldwide Pinhole day? Reminders once a month. Give folks time to plan and work on images so they will be ready when the time comes.

[David Drake]

I love pinhole , so this fun to see! And I also always miss pinhole day. So thanks for this Mike.
For other pinhole people who are not aware of Albert Morell, you have to check out his stuff! He creates camera obscura cameras out of rooms.
David

[Rob de Loe]

When I show my students a photograph made with a pinhole camera, I can see their heads spinning. They don't believe me when I tell them, "You don't need a lens to make a picture of a dog this amazing, you know."

https://i.ibb.co/7nwsBqY/Sophie-pinhole.jpg

I also love trees Vijay. I find them endlessly fascinating. This project is a bit of a love letter for Eastern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis). https://www.robdeloephotography.com/Works/Experiments-in-Engagement/How-we-see-trees/