Pinhole Camera

As an experiment I made a pinhole camera out of a beer can. This was a very simple and quick process, as well as very cheap.

To create the camera, I made a 'lid' for the top of the beer can out of duct tape and black card. After removing the top of the can with a tin opener, I pierced a hole in the front of the can to act as the 'lens'. After covering the hole with a piece of duct tape, I placed black and white photographic paper inside of the can.

With the camera now ready and loaded with paper, I looked for a suitable location to mount it. As I would be doing a three month exposure, attempting to track the sun's movement, I wanted to mount it in a location that would catch the rise or set of the sun.

This drain pipe was an ideal location for my camera to be mounted, but I also wanted it to be as high as possible in order to capture the sun in the sky. I used more of the duct tape to affix the camera, and then removed the piece of tape acting as the shutter.

This is the view from the point at which I mounted the camera, so I hope the final image appears similarly.

During early April, I took the can down, and scanned the paper in, without any development or processing, as the paper was already over exposed.

This is the original image as it was scanned into the computer.

I then inverted the image in photoshop, and got these very clear sun 'tracks'. The positioning of the can was crucial in achieving such a clear image, as if it did not face the 'crest' of the sun's path, then the image would not be as successful. 

The resultant photo could have been a little clearer, with the trees and buildings being crisper. However, as I riskily only left one can to be exposed, I am very happy with this image.