wrogers Loc: Kew Gardens, NY

Three pinhole images, two regular images. From what I've recently read about pinhole images, the trick is to make them look dreamy, not poorly focused.

Not a pinhole image (some of what's left of Fort Totten, NY)


Idealized image of Fort Totten (telephoto, not pinhole)

JCam Loc: MD Eastern Shore

Nice Pictures all! Is Ft. Totten now fully closed or did they save some parts for historical purposes? We were married in the Post Chapel 53 years ago; is it still standing?

wrogers Loc: Kew Gardens, NY

You can walk around the grounds but most of the buildings were closed on the day I was there. Several of the buildings are falling apart. I think the chapel still stands and is in good condition, at least according to a website I read.

www.flickr.com/photos/emilio_guerra/4542732643

dlmorris Loc: Loma Linda, Ca

I've tried some pinhole imaging, and they came out pretty sad. What did you use as your "lens"? And what camera? Yours came out pretty well!

wrogers Loc: Kew Gardens, NY

I bought a Rising Standard wide pinhole lens for $45. You can make your own pinhole lens using a spare camera bodycap, but the hole you make with a needle might not have the needed characteristics at its perimeter.

See Rising Standard lens http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/915858-REG/rising_rpwc001_cam_pinhole_body_cap.html

See Holga lens http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/846171-REG/Holga_299120_Pinhole_Lens_for_Nikon.html

The three pinhole pictures above were Photoshopped afterwards. The camera is a Canon D6. The auto ISO setting reduces the need for long exposures. So does the feature some Canon Cameras have that combine four faster-shutter identical images (rapid-fire shooting) into a single JPG image. This is the SCN setting for hand-held night pictures. With these two techniques you can hand-hold the camera for pinhole images. Nonetheless using a tripod is better. One website I read says the larger the camera format the better especially for pinhole pictures.

I discovered you can use a "close-up" extension tube with the pinhole lens for regular non-close-up pictures because no glass is involved. The tube doubles the apparent "length" of the pinhole lens. And using an LCD loupe makes it easier to compose the pictures because of the bright sunshine you usually need for pinhole images. I also suspect that some types of subject matter will work better than others for pinhole images.

dlmorris Loc: Loma Linda, Ca

thanks for the info and the links! I'll have to try again.

dlmorris Loc: Loma Linda, Ca

That seems a little pricy for a cap,with a hole in it! I was using a potatoe chip can, with a small pin hole in one end. The pictures were pretty fuzzy, but maybe that is to be expected. Or perhaps my hole was still a little too big...

wrogers Loc: Kew Gardens, NY

I assume the hole in what I bought was precision-cut to the optimal size, although I don't really know this. The exterior of the cap is designed as a small "lens hood." Some pinhole lenses are $45, some are $25, and some are $10, on ebay. I ordered the $10 one on ebay and the vendor sent a size I couldn''t use and wouldn't replace it when I brought the problem to their attention. I could have complained to ebay but didn't. A month later ebay wrote to ask if everything was OK, but I had lost interest by then.

dlmorris Loc: Loma Linda, Ca

To bad about the experience with eBay. But for $10.00, you're right, hardly worth the hassle. I think the trick for pin hole photography is the smaller the hole, the better. And for most of us, it's just something to play with, and then move on... I was happy to see your samples, though.