My 6x6 Pinhole Camera

This is awesome! Great detailed instructions…

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Wowsers, I can’t believe you designed all of that in Illustrator! As soon as I saw the multi-piece layout I thought of https://cuttle.xyz/, which a handful of forum members are early access users. You may like to try it out if you have the time!

Fantastic write-up and design. It almost makes me want to plat with pin hole cameras again, except all of the dark room set-up that I don’t have :sweat_smile:

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Thanks @awebs76 ! Indeed it does. I have been doing photography in one way or another my whole life. As a child I loved the pure joy of it. As I approached middle age I allowed myself to believe I needed the latest and greatest equipment to take the best shots. Indeed it seems almost every other YouTube post on photography is about new gear. Then there is the endless bickering amongst the fanboys: Leica vs. Nikon vs. Canon vs. Sony vs. Fuji vs… and so on and so on about gear that costs thousands of dollars. Now I understand that pinholes will never take over the world when it comes to sharpness or any other optical standard for that matter, but what is really important? How sharp a photo is or what is expressed in the photo itself? I mean if you fall in love with a picture, does one really care about what lens was used? what camera? Somehow I forgot all of that but making my own camera(s) and taking pictures with them have reminded me why I fell in love with photography in the first place. I am not knocking on anyone who owns a Leica M10 or whatever new Sony G Master lens (full disclosure: I have them too!). People can do what they want. But I have come to a personal realization of what matters to me in photography that I find to be extremely liberating and exciting. I feel like a 7 year old again taking my first picture with my Dad’s Pentax (boy did I have to beg and beg to do that!). Cheers.

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Thanks @celesteprobichaux, @ChristyM , and @rvogt !

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Thanks @jeanneleigh ! It really is, isn’t it? I find myself looking at what people do on the forums and I’m always getting inspired. I must admit that I find it hard to post because of this. I mean, what do I have to offer? So it is deeply humbling when people are kind enough to encourage me. Cheers again!

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Ummmm… I’m not sure what that is, but thanks!

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Thanks @jamely ! Yes, Illustrator is something I’ve used since the days it was sold on floppy disks, so it is like a second skin. And, like I mentioned above, I do find working and thinking in 2D gives a good understanding of the 3D object since we are cutting planes. Cuttle seems really cool! Thanks for letting me know about it. This is the first I’ve heard about it. I’d love to give it a try. Is it difficult to get early access?

UPDATE: I just applied. Fingers crossed.

makes me want to plat with pin hole cameras again, except all of the dark room set-up that I don’t have

I know what you mean. But my setup is really small since I am not doing physical prints (for now) and don’t need an enlarger. I just have the basic chemicals and some graduated beakers and it all fits in a few shelves in the basement bathroom. I don’t need to light proof the room since I do all of the light sensitive work (like putting film on reels) in a dark bag. I do want to make my own prints, but an enlarger is huge for my house so for now I’ll have to outsource it if I ever get a show (which, is not at all likely to happen very soon lol).

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I meant Horror movie, not shorter movie. I have no idea how “shorter” got in place of “horror” but it’s what I meant.

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:rofl::rofl::rofl:

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I think all photographers will identify with what you say about the gear!

^ You nailed it right there as far as I’m concerned :slight_smile:

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Using tools to make tools - the ultimate practical cut.
Plus you are having fun using it. How awesome is that !!

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Totally Amazing! I used to do a lot of silver etching with nitric acid and add salt water to precipitate the silver which was white at first but with long exposure turned black on the outside but still white underneath. That was as much as I learned as I was doing jewelry and not photographs but I wonder if you could make a really big pinhole camera by making film not otherwise available.

I just had some x-rays done that used electronics like a cell phone camera so even x-ray film’s days are numbered but the ability to use that sized film I seem to recall as being the path to increased pixel amount before better film and lenses.

At the other end, engraving the photos on wood would be amazing!

That said the places you have already gone has been mind-boggling :exploding_head:

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Thank you @brokendrum ! For me it was my prime motivator to get a :glowforge: Wouldn’t it be awesome if someone in the community built another Glowforge with their Glowforge?

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Thanks @rbtdanforth !

My gosh! That is some next level stuff you’re into and some really cool ideas!

I haven’t used anything other than standard film, but there is a big movement in the alternative photography realm where people use unconventional emulsions. Then there are those artists who do tin types, wet collodion, and other vintage photography. Many people use photo print paper in 8x10 pinhole cameras (or larger) as a “paper negative” - much cheaper than 8x10 film! These are then either scanned and reversed in Photoshop or used to make a contact print.

I’ll get to my point soon - please bear with me - anyway cyanotypes which are often used for printing are sometimes used as a paper negative in large format photography as well and I thought this would make a great negative in pinhole cameras. Alas, because the amount of light entering a pinhole camera is so small (we’re talking triple digit f-stops) it is almost impossible to get an exposure. I say almost, because you can point the camera into direct sunlight and put the subject in between to get a harsh silhouette but that would be it - and that can be cool too! So as far as your process is concerned, pinholes may not give you enough light to do what you are thinking but on the other hand I do not know what your end artistic goal is nor do I know how photo sensitive your chemicals are, so it may or may not work depending on your intention.

That all said, I know people use cyanotypes in traditional large format photography - which is to say cameras which use lenses and not pinholes. Still very long exposures but not restrictively so. At the very least, I am confident that your silver etching idea can be used with lenses. I have been thinking about using the Glowforge to make lenses out of simple thin lenses like magnifying glasses or toy binoculars so if I ever get to that I’ll let you know.

X-ray film! Yes, it is actually a very popular film format in large format photography. They are still widespread in use that an 8x10 sheet of x-ray film ends up being cheaper than a 4x5 sheet of standard film. As I understand it there is a shift in the sensitivity of the emulsion. X-ray film is orthochromatic so the reds will be darker than your would expect. It is also higher in contrast. It can be delicate to handle since the emulsion is on both sides (there are single side emulsions as well, however). But you can work around this with filters, diluting the chemicals, and taking care with the film handling to avoid scratches in finger prints OR you can use these characteristics to your advantage to get an artistic look!

Sorry for the long reply but just wanted to echo your thoughts on the possibilities with photography. There’s just so much that can be done and I love how your mind is working. Cheers!

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Alas, to do all I have investigated and would wish to do I would have to live 300 years and still have the body of a 20 yr old and unlimited funds. Even now the list of things I could otherwise do are beyond the ability of my current body, and even the circumstances no longer exist that were possible and desirable 40 or more years ago. Even a hike in the woods is beyond practical.

What I can do is share such bits that are hanging about that others have the opportunity.

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All I can say is, WOW!

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My goodness wouldn’t we all wish to do so. Perhaps I have not walked as many miles as you but I am at a point where I do understand the path in front of me is shorter than the one I’ve already travelled upon. I have so much I still want to do and at times I am saddened of the circumstances of our inevitable mortality. I rally at the thought that if life is like a concert, the best ones are the concerts where you want just one more song, and as long as I feel like I want one more song, I am living the best life I can.

What I can do is share such bits that are hanging about that others have the opportunity.

I think I speak for the entire community when I say that we are all fortunate we have you here to do exactly that. Cheers.

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Loved your write-up! It is always great to hear how someone is using and enjoying their Glowforge!

This is exactly what my husband says when I tell him about everything people are building with their Glowforges. :rofl:

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