Pinhole photography is one of the oldest forms of photography and uses the most basic concepts of a camera: a light-proof box, an aperture, and light-sensitive material. Although pinhole photography is a simple set up, it also requires planning and a creative eye. Exposure, movement, blur, and more are all things to be considered when taking a photo with a pinhole camera. It’s an opportunity to slow down and focus on the most important parts of taking a photo. Enjoy some pinhole photography from members of the Flickr community.
“One of my favorite ways to create images is using a pinhole camera. Long exposures and infinite depth of field are the aspects of pinhole that allow me the expression I desire in my photographs. The long exposures offer the opportunity to incorporate motion, representative of the passage of time, moment to moment, and from one place to the next. Infinite depth of field helps tweak reality by distorting size relationships and often shape. The ability to make a photograph that doesnʼt quite mesh with waking life but rather illustrates the realms of the subconscious, dreams, memory and the underlying energy of creation, is what pinhole is about for me.” –Therese
“I first got inspired to try pinhole photography after seeing some wonderful images here on flickr. 10 years later and I’m still hooked. Pinhole photography has a look and feel of its own and this is the principle reason of why I love it so much. The slow exposure and softness of the images lend an almost otherworldly quality to the image. By its very nature, pinhole photography can be unpredictable but that can work in your favour, and when it does, the feeling is fantastic.” –…Matt Pringle…
“Here is a photo I shot with a home made 8×10 pinhole camera and X-Ray film.” –thierry402
“I’m drawn to pinhole photography because I have to use my intuition to make the photograph, so I’m relying on some deeper and more innate intelligence within me. I find that exciting and life-giving.” –Cameran80
“What I love in pinhole photography is that I can make pictures that otherwise would be very difficult or even impossible to obtain using any other technique. The results are dreamy, often quite random, and sometimes very unexpected and surprising. Making the cameras yourself is also a great fun!” –Vaidotas Mikšys
“Narrabeen, Sydney, NSW, Australia. April 2021. Rollei Crossbird 200. Ondu Pinhole Camera 6×17. 11sec exposure.” –Bill Thoo
“Pinhole photography is my favorite! I’ve been shooting it since 2013 and it never gets old. I like the simplicity and the feelings pinhole images evoke. Here is a recent favorite of mine, taken with a Terrapin Ace (3D printed by Todd Schlemmer).” –CraftyMoni
“Having fallen in love with shooting, processing and scanning B&W film at home, it only made sense to try to make my own camera from an old cigar box. That entirely hand-fabricated, imperfect mechanical device was a revelation. Photography has an intimate relationship to memory, having been used to record events, people and places since its invention. Black and white seems to evoke that sense a bit further – now the memory is obscured, color details lost. Pinhole imagery takes that sensation even deeper. Things are indistinct, colorless, equally blurred across the frame. Like actual memories. The simplicity of the device is its genius. Make one yourself – you won’t be disappointed.” –SD Barling
We hope you enjoyed these beautiful examples of pinhole photography. Check out more photos in the “Pinhole Photography” gallery on the official Flickr page. Join the conversation over in Flickr Social to share your defining photos and moments of 2021!