Lights, Camera, Click!?

    In my winter term class, Light, Sound, and Time, we spent the first unit studying light. Throughout this unit, we learned about the properties of light, the Electro Magnetic spectrum, sine & cosine waves, the unit circle, radians vs degrees, and how cameras work. After learning about all these different things and their applications we began our AP which is creating a pinhole camera. This kind of camera uses a small hole and a lens to take pictures. It is completely manual and uses film to capture images. Here is how I completed that project.

    I made this camera with materials found at home. The body is a breadcrumb container which I then painted black on the inside. The lid was clear so I had to paint it and cover it in tape to block any light from entering. I created a lens using a piece of aluminum with a small hole poked through with a nail. Finally, I created a larger hole in the camera base for the lens and taped it on. The shutter I added is made of cardboard and tape and can be removed for taking pictures.

PC - pinhole camera - 2023

    This pinhole camera captures light through a small hole and lens at the front. The lens is covered by a shutter to not let any light in but when uncovered, the light will travel to the photosensitive paper placed inside. The paper will capture the image while the shutter is open. The longer the shutter is open, the higher the exposure, which is needed for a pinhole camera.

    This camera doesn't use refraction to take pictures. Refraction occurs when light goes through an object which then bends it. The amount of refraction varies depending on the object and the angle at which the light travels. The lens is just a pinhole in a piece of aluminum so it doesn't cause refraction. Most cameras have convex glass lenses which focus and flip the image. 

    The inside of my pinhole camera has been painted black in order to absorb all light. The only light that enters the camera is through the pinhole lens which transposes the image onto the photosensitive paper.

    This device demonstrates the principles we learned in class since the paper used in the camera only captures part of the electromagnetic spectrum. It can capture the section of visible light. While pictures produced may be black and white it is still an accumulation of visible light. White reflects all colors and black absorbs all colors.

    To take a picture we first had to calculate how to capture all of the object we choose (book). To locate the distance needed between the camera and the object we use proportions and similar triangles, which we learned about in class. All of my calculations are below and I found that the distance needed to produce the picture is 3.855 inches.

PC - camera calculations - 2023

PC - camera and book - 2023

    Overall this wasn't a very enjoyable AP. I missed a week of school which led to me being super behind on this project. I missed the day when our class went to Truman College to use their dark room leading to me having to find another dark room (which aren't very popular in the age of digital photography). I ended up not being able to take any pictures with my camera which kinda sucks. However, some parts of the project were fun like making the camera and getting to see how the principles of light are applied to the arts. I am proud of how my Action Project turned out given the circumstances.