My first class was awesome! The instructor jumped right in with both feet introducing us to the darkroom tonight. We began the course by exploring pinhole photography and photograms. We constructed our own pinhole cameras and spent the first hour of the class outside taking photos with them. For those of you who don't know, a pinhole camera is made from any light-tight container (I used a quart-size paint can). You punch a hole about the size of an eraser into one side of the container and place a piece of tin or brass into which you've inserted a needle (making a "pinhole") over it, creating an aperture through which light can enter. This pinhole is then covered with a piece of tape (I used a magnet) that can be used as a shutter to "open" and "close" the pinhole. In the darkroom under a safe light, you then place a piece of photographic paper (some use film) into the container directly across from the pinhole and close the container creating a light-tight seal. Take your camera outside, choose an object or vista to photograph, remove the tape from the pinhole for anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes depending upon the amount of light available. We shot in the late afternoon as the sun was beginning to set, so we used an exposure time of 1-1 1/2 minutes. We also had an opportunity to shoot in the studio the following week and ended up using exposure times from 2-5 minutes. Once you've taken your shot, you head to the darkroom to develop the negative image that's created, then use an enlarger to create a positive image for mounting.
The photogram is made in the darkroom by placing several opaque, sheer or clear items onto a piece of photographic paper then exposing them to light. After running the paper through the developer you get an image that resembles an x-ray. I used a miniature wine glass, some lace, various opaque beads, a glass bottle, and some dried flowers. Once the image is dry it is ready for mounting.
I was thrilled with the way my photogram and pinhole camera turned out. Unfortunately, I had some "techincal difficulties" when the pinhole got blocked so while I did get a couple of OK shots of some garden statuary, I still don't have just that perfect outdoor vista shot I'm looking for. I've still got time to shoot a couple more however before the end of the semester and will post them once I've got them ready to mount. Pinhole photography will definitely be something I continue to experiment with on my own.
I was so thrilled to be tossed into the darkroom right off the bat! The pinhole camera & the photogram are great ways to introduce the student to the elements of light and exposure in photography. Next up, some black & white film!
