Analogue Workshop Series – Pinhole Cameras

We are giving a workshop in pinhole camera making on July 5th! The workshop will cover the basic principles of pinhole cameras, and how to develop photographic paper. You will build your own pinhole camera and then we’ll go out and make some exposures and develop the paper negatives. Each participant should be able to create 2 or 3 images during the workshop, and will go home with the skills to continue taking pinhole photos. This workshop will hopefully inspire you to start a collection of pinhole cameras and get out to make images with them.

Pinhole photography is writing with light at its most basic. All that is required to make an image is a light tight container or space (a camera obscura) and a small hole that lets light in. To record that image, some sort of light sensitive material is put into the camera, and the light coming through the pinhole creates an impression of the subject the camera is looking at. The properties of light passing through a pinhole have been known for centuries, and have been documented as early as 500BC. Pinholes have been used to observe solar eclipses, as drawing aids, and as entertainment when the image is projected onto a large screen. Lenses were also used in camera obscuras as they let in more light. Since a way to fix the projected image was discovered in the 1820s and photography was born, people have experimented with pinhole cameras. Today we make pinhole cameras with everything from a cardboard box to washing machines, beer cans,  and even our own bodies. Using containers and objects that have had a previous use simplifies the process even further, adds another creative dimension, and is also a more sustainable alternative to using a conventional camera.

There is a fee of $20 for this workshop to cover the materials. Space is limited to 8 participants Registration will open on June 7th at 9am on Eventbrite.
https://beau_pinhole_2025.eventbrite.ca