The Pinhole Camera

Technically, one of the oldest forms of photography but not in the photographic sense. Inspiration spawned for the idea around 400 BC when Chinese philosopher Mozi realized that images inverted as if the light passes through a small hole. Experiments where carried out over the years by many people including the Greek philosopher Aristotle who pondered the mechanics behind the camera.

The relative use of the pinhole was not discovered in its photographic term until 1850 by a Scottish man by the name of David Brewster who took the first photograph with the pinhole camera after someone had the genius to add a lens to the design 1600. Since then there have been equations, blueprints and instruction manuals all for creating pinhole cameras and is still going strong today with modern makes including twists and references back to original designs. I think both the ease and originality of the pinhole camera is what makes it appeal to the public, even in this day and age fans of photography continue to make their own pinhole cameras.

One of the main uses for the pinhole camera dating back to its origin is the ability it possesses to view the sun and solar eclipses due to its real time viewing ability. Personally, the pinhole camera is for me the bread and butter of photography - simple and classic. By being able to create one yourself so easily it allows for that more complex level of photography and for me that is what I love. The simplistic quality of the photo but the variation in the box itself to alter the image entirely. It's a nifty design and definitely one that I want to replicate myself.