Oh the possibilities...

What happens when a packaging designer decides to make a pinhole camera? What could possibly be the outcome of crossing this camera with this CNC cutting table?

This:


A few months back, I started wondering how I could challenge my photographic skills in a more complex way than by just using a film SLR. I started to research pinhole cameras and wondered if there was anyone making cardboard pinhole cameras. I stumbled across this page and was blown away.

After some more digging and exploring the interweb, I uncovered a PDF file of plans for a cardboard pinhole camera, and a PDF showing how to assemble it. Being a packaging designer and having access to aforementioned cutting table, I decided to have a crack. I started from scratch with only an A4 print-out of the plans. The PDF was pretty inaccurate and not terribly detailed. So I would design a piece, cut a sample and fold it up to see how it fitted together. Tweak it, cut it, try again. Gradually I started to assemble a collection of CAD files that were slowly fitting together to make a camera-shaped object.

Fast forward through about another fifteen to twenty steps of prototyping and re-sizing, and you have this:


With a copy of the Pinhole Designer software available for free download from Pinhole.cz, I was able to determine the best size pinhole for the focal length of my camera. In turn, this gave me the required exposure times, taking into account the film I'm using and reciprocity failure info. I am now in the process of testing it with medium format film.

Will let you know how it goes. :)

Cultivating My Own Nonsense

Listening to: Trivium - Entrance Of The Conflagration
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Exhibition's open now - go look, buy, investigate, marvel, scoff. :)

Opening night went extremely well. The place was packed and everyoine had a jolly old time. We sold three prints on the night, and (at least) one more has sold since then. Now we start planning the next one.


So it was my birthday on Saturday. Hip hip hooray. I turned the magical 32. Kel and I went into the Central Markets for a couple of hours of wandering and experiencing the fresh food and gourmet cheese, coffee and miscellaneous shops. I really enjoy going in there - this was my first time in many years. But I think we'll be going back a lot more often.

Saturday night we went off to see Shrek The Third. Admittedly it was a bit of a let-down in the context of the first two movies, but still a good laugh. I love these Gold Class-style movies theatres though - being able to lounge back in a recliner and sip on a coffee while munching on buttermilk scones is heaven. :)

Sunday was spent in the hills, trying to capture the shot I want for next month's exhibition - I think I got it. I"m going to do a vertical panorama which will be big. Like 12x33 or so inches. :)

Monday (public holiday - god bless the Queen's birthday :)) I tried to pull a bunch of weeds out of the garden, only to find the little barbs really do actually sting. My arms broke out in a landscape of little bumps that itched like a bastard. Go me. Think I'll just buy some weed killer, even though it's strangely soothing to rip weeds out of the ground.

Dad tried to contact me for my birthday - he sent me a text message saying he'd call later. Still waiting.... Not that I've got much to say to him. He's ignored me for exactly a year, then expects things to be as per normal. I don't think so.