Today is Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day

By Jackie Fender on April 24, 2011

LOW TECH CAN BE FUN >>>

This weekend calls for the celebration of one of my favorite holidays! No, not Easter - although any excuse to eat chocolate bunnies is a helluva good holiday if you ask me.

Sunday is Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day.

Yes, there is indeed such a thing.

In this day and age, we all like to think there's a little photographer in each of us. Snapping away with our digital cameras, large to pocket sized we can document every moment through the lens of high tech camera - complete with the instant gratification of our digital screens, prescreening every picture to determine what's going to make it on our favorite social networking site.

Pinhole photography, on the other hand, is a dying art that requires patience - utilizing a lightproof box with a single aperture allowing in only the natural light of the environment, embedding the image onto light sensitive film.  The singular source of light calls for a slower exposure, from several seconds to several minutes (if there is less light available more time is needed).

The outcome of the time consuming process can cause infinite depth of field, double exposures and skewed perspectives-- much like Alice in Wonderland with a touch of a raw humanistic edge.

Pinhole cameras can be easily found browsing online or made. The Internet is a goldmine of resources, including common supplies to instructions.

How does one celebrate Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day? Make or acquire a pinhole camera, some of your favorite film and take a photo or two to share with fellow pinhole lovers. The results may surprise you.

Happy (random) holidays.