Pinhole
A 4x5 pinhole shot of the sunflower field at the Please Wash Me Car Wash in Elverson, Pennsylvania.
Technical details:
Leonardo 38mm 4x5" pinhole camera.
Arista EDU Ultra 200 (re-branded Fomapan) B&W Negative Film, shot at ISO 160.
4 seconds @ (about) F140. Metered with Pinhole Assist app on iPhone.
Developed in Rodinal/Adox Adonal 1:50 dilution for 9 1/2 minutes @ 20 degrees Celsius in Mod54 daylight developing tank.
Negative scanned with Epson V600.
Take a walk on the not so wild side. A lensless pinhole camera shot of crypt row at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Camera: Lensless Camera Company 75mm F225 pinhole camera.
Film: Ilford HP5+ 400 ISO shot at 200 ISO.
Exposure: 6 seconds @ F225.
Development: Self Developed in Kodak Xtol 1+2 dilution in three reel Paterson Universal Tank using Mod54 six sheet 4x5 insert. 13 minutes @ 20 degrees Celsius. Kodak indicator stop bath. Ilford Rapid Fixer. Photo-Flo rinse.
Scanning: Negative scanned with Epson V600 in two scans and merged back together in PhotoShop since the V600 doesn't natively support 4x5 scans in one pass.
A lensless pinhole camera shot of Herr's Mill Covered Bridge in Ronks, Pennsylvania. This Lancaster County bridge spans the
Camera: Lensless Camera Company 75mm F225 pinhole camera.
Film: Ilford Delta 100 shot at box speed.
Exposure: 6 seconds @ F225.
Development: Self Developed in Kodak Xtol 1+2 dilution in three reel Paterson Universal Tank using Mod54 six sheet 4x5 insert. 13 minutes @ 20 degrees Celsius. Kodak indicator stop bath. Ilford Rapid Fixer. Photo-Flo rinse.
Scanning: Negative scanned with Epson V600 in two scans and merged back together in PhotoShop since the V600 doesn't natively support 4x5 scans in one pass. Warm toned in post.
A lensless pinhole camera shot of Lake Ontelaunee taken from the bridge over the dam looking downstream over the Maiden Creek. Lake Ontelaunee is a 1,082 acre reservoir that, for much of its history, provided most of the drinking water for the city of Reading Pennsylvania. It's a favorite fishing spot year round and is surrounded by state game lands and farms. The lake is formed behind the Ontelaunee Dam and was created in 1926.
Camera: Lensless Camera Company 75mm F225 pinhole camera.
Film: Ilford Delta 100 shot at box speed.
Exposure: 6 seconds @ F225.
Development: Self Developed in Kodak Xtol 1+2 dilution in three reel Paterson Universal Tank using Mod54 six sheet 4x5 insert. 13 minutes @ 20 degrees Celsius. Kodak indicator stop bath. Ilford Rapid Fixer. Photo-Flo rinse.
Scanning: Negative scanned with Epson V600 in two scans and merged back together in PhotoShop since the V600 doesn't natively support 4x5 scans in one pass. Cropped in post.
A lensless pinhole camera shot of Lake Ontelaunee taken from the bridge over the dam. Lake Ontelaunee is a 1,082 acre reservoir that, for much of its history, provided most of the drinking water for the city of Reading Pennsylvania. It's a favorite fishing spot year round and is surrounded by state game lands and farms. The lake is formed behind the Ontelaunee Dam and was created in 1926.
Camera: Lensless Camera Company 75mm F225 pinhole camera.
Film: Ilford Delta 100 shot at box speed.
Exposure: 5 seconds @ F225.
Development: Self Developed in Kodak Xtol 1+2 dilution in three reel Paterson Universal Tank using Mod54 six sheet 4x5 insert. 13 minutes @ 20 degrees Celsius. Kodak indicator stop bath. Ilford Rapid Fixer. Photo-Flo rinse.
Scanning: Negative scanned with Epson V600 in two scans and merged back together in PhotoShop since the V600 doesn't natively support 4x5 scans in one pass.
Another of the character rich trees that surround the Muhlenberg Brigade encampment area at the Valley Forge National Historic Site. Winter offers a time when all the branches can show off their unique bends and twists for all the world to see.
Camera: Homemade 4x5 wooden and brass pinhole camera. 0.4mm diameter laser cut pinhole, 90mm focal length giving F225 aperture.
Lens: None.
Film: Fuji Super HR-T 30 medium speed green sensitive X-Ray film. Purchased as 8x10" sheets and cut down to 4x5". Film rated at 100 ISO.
Exposure: 8 seconds.
Development: Self Developed film in Rodinal (Adox Adinol) 1:100 in three reel Paterson Universal Tank using Mod54 six sheet 4x5 insert. 7 1/2 minutes @ 20 degrees Celsius with minimal inversions. Kodak indicator stop bath. Ilford Rapid Fixer. Photo-Flo. Hung to dry.
Scanning: Negative scanned with Epson V600 in two scans and merged back together in PhotoShop since the V600 doesn't natively support 4x5 scans in one pass. Lightly textured, toned and edges burned in Photoshop CS5.
A stone sculpted face protrudes from the inside of the United States Memorial Arch, located at the intersection of Outerline Drive and Gulph Road within the Valley Forge National Historic Site. The arch was erected to commemorate the arrival of General George Washington and his Continental Army into Valley Forge.
Camera: Homemade 4x5 wooden and brass pinhole camera. 0.4mm diameter laser cut pinhole, 90mm focal length giving F225 aperture.
Lens: None.
Film: Fuji Super HR-T 30 medium speed green sensitive X-Ray film. Purchased as 8x10" sheets and cut down to 4x5". Film rated at 100 ISO.
Exposure: 12 seconds.
Development: Self Developed film in Rodinal (Adox Adinol) 1:100 in three reel Paterson Universal Tank using Mod54 six sheet 4x5 insert. 7 1/2 minutes @ 20 degrees Celsius with minimal inversions. Kodak indicator stop bath. Ilford Rapid Fixer. Photo-Flo. Hung to dry.
Scanning: Negative scanned with Epson V600 in two scans and merged back together in PhotoShop since the V600 doesn't natively support 4x5 scans in one pass.
This is the main church at St. Paul's UCC in Amity, Pennsylvania. The church was dedicated in May of 1925 and holds two services weekly on Sunday for its 700+ members.
Camera: Homemade 4x5 wooden and brass pinhole (lensless) camera. 0.4mm diameter laser cut pinhole, 90mm focal length giving F225 aperture.
Lens: None.
Film: Fuji Super HR-T 30 medium speed green sensitive X-Ray film. Purchased as 8x10" sheets and cut down to 4x5". Film rated at 100 ISO.
Exposure: 8 seconds.
Development: Self Developed film in Rodinal (Adox Adinol) 1:100 in three reel Paterson Universal Tank using Mod54 six sheet 4x5 insert. 7 1/2 minutes @ 20 degrees Celsius with minimal inversions. Kodak indicator stop bath. Ilford Rapid Fixer. Photo-Flo. Hung to dry.
Scanning: Negative scanned with Epson V600 in two scans and merged back together in PhotoShop since the V600 doesn't natively support 4x5 scans in one pass. Cropped in Lightroom 4.
This is the main furnace structure at Lockridge Furnace in Alburtis, Pennsylvania. Today it houses a museum that details the iron industry in the lehigh Valley in the 1800s and early 1900s.
Camera: Homemade 4x5 wooden and brass pinhole (lensless) camera. 0.4mm diameter laser cut pinhole, 90mm focal length giving F225 aperture.
Lens: None.
Film: Arista EDU 100 Ultra 100 ISO B&W Negative Film (Re-branded Fomapan), shot at ISO 64.
Exposure: 10 seconds.
Development: Self Developed in Kodak Xtol 1+2 dilution in Paterson Universal Tank using the Taco Method. 13 minutes @ 20 degrees Celsius. Kodak indicator stop bath. Ilford Rapid Fixer. Photo-Flo rinse.
Scanning: Negative scanned with Epson V600 in two scans and merged back together in PhotoShop since the V600 doesn't natively support 4x5 scans in one pass. Cropped to desired size in Lightroom 4.
This is the St. Paul's UCC Chapel in Amity, Pennsylvania. It stands next to the much larger yellow brick church that serves the present congregation. The chapel was built sometime after 1917 when a fire ravaged an earlier Sunday school chapel building on the same spot. Many of the same bricks used in hte earlier school's construction were used to build the present chapel building.
I tried a little something different with the pinhole for this shot and took a sheet of Saran Wrap (clear, very thin plastic) and wiped it on some of the snow and ice piles that are covered with road salt in order to give it some dirty texture and grit then I draped that sheet over the front of the 4x5 wooden pinhole camera. I think I still need to play with the distance between the pinhole and the Saran Wrap to get the exact feel I was going for but it's a start. I burned the edges a bit in Lightroom to add some drama.
Camera: Home made 4x5 wooden and brass pinhole camera. 0.4mm diameter laser cut pinhole, 90mm focal length giving F225 aperture.
Lens: None.
Film: Fuji Super HR-T 30 medium speed green sensitive X-Ray film. Purchased as 8x10" sheets and cut down to 4x5". Film rated at 100 ISO.
Exposure: 8 seconds.
Development: Self Developed film in Rodinal (Adox Adinol) 1:100 in three reel Paterson Universal Tank using Mod54 six sheet 4x5 insert. 7 1/2 minutes @ 20 degrees Celsius with minimal inversions. Kodak indicator stop bath. Ilford Rapid Fixer. Photo-Flo. Hung to dry.
Scanning: Negative scanned with Epson V600 in two scans and merged back together in PhotoShop since the V600 doesn't natively support 4x5 scans in one pass. Cropped in Lightroom 4.
A cabin on the site of a brigade encampment led by General Peter Muhlenberg during the long, hard Winter of 1777-78 at Valley Forge. Created at Valley Forge National Historic Site with a homemade wooden 4x5 large format pinhole camera.
Camera: Homemade 4x5 wooden and brass pinhole camera. 0.4mm diameter laser cut pinhole, 90mm focal length giving F225 aperture.
Lens: None.
Film: Fuji Super HR-T 30 medium speed green sensitive X-Ray film. Purchased as 8x10" sheets and cut down to 4x5". Film rated at 100 ISO.
Exposure: 12 seconds.
Development: Self Developed film in Rodinal (Adox Adinol) 1:100 in three reel Paterson Universal Tank using Mod54 six sheet 4x5 insert. 7 1/2 minutes @ 20 degrees Celsius with minimal inversions. Kodak indicator stop bath. Ilford Rapid Fixer. Photo-Flo. Hung to dry.
Scanning: Negative scanned with Epson V600 in two scans and merged back together in PhotoShop since the V600 doesn't natively support 4x5 scans in one pass. Cropped in Lightroom 4.
St. Paul's UCC Church Cemetery in Amity, Pennsylvania contains some very old gravestones, some dating back to the 1700s. A nice setting for a shot with the 4x5 pinhole camera.
Camera: Home made 4x5 wooden and brass pinhole camera. 0.4mm diameter laser cut pinhole, 90mm focal length giving F225 aperture.
Lens: None.
Film: Fuji Super HR-T 30 medium speed green sensitive X-Ray film. Purchased as 8x10" sheets and cut down to 4x5". Film rated at 100 ISO.
Exposure: 8 seconds.
Development: Self Developed film in Rodinal (Adox Adinol) 1:100 in three reel Paterson Universal Tank using Mod54 six sheet 4x5 insert. 7 1/2 minutes @ 20 degrees Celsius with minimal inversions. Kodak indicator stop bath. Ilford Rapid Fixer. Photo-Flo. Hung to dry.
Scanning: Negative scanned with Epson V600 in two scans and merged back together in PhotoShop since the V600 doesn't natively support 4x5 scans in one pass.
The United States Memorial Arch, located at the intersection of Outerline Drive and Gulph Road within the Valley Forge National Historic Site, was erected to commemorate the arrival of General George Washington and his Continental Army into Valley Forge.
Camera: Home made 4x5 wooden and brass pinhole camera. 0.4mm diameter laser cut pinhole, 90mm focal length giving F225 aperture.
Lens: None.
Film: Arista EDU 100 Ultra 100 ISO B&W Negative Film (Re-branded Fomapan), shot at ISO 64.
Exposure: 8 seconds.
Development: Self Developed in Kodak Xtol 1+2 dilution in Paterson Universal Tank using the Taco Method. 13 minutes @ 20 degrees Celsius. Kodak indicator stop bath. Ilford Rapid Fixer. Photo-Flo rinse.
Scanning: Negative scanned with Epson V600 in two scans and merged back together in PhotoShop since the V600 doesn't natively support 4x5 scans in one pass.
How lawn furniture hibernates. This will be the last of the 4x5 large format pinhole shots featuring snow for a while. We are supposed to get one more really good snow storm on Wednesday into Thursday and then the forecast around here is calling for temperatures in the upper 30s to 50s on some days so hopefully the snow will all melt and I can get on to some more interesting landscapes with the regular 4x5 camera. Have I mentioned how much I hate snow ? I probably have.
Camera: Home made 4x5 wooden and brass pinhole camera. 0.4mm diameter laser cut pinhole, 90mm focal length giving F225 aperture.
Lens: None.
Film: Arista EDU 100 Ultra 100 ISO B&W Negative Film (Re-branded Fomapan), shot at ISO 64.
Exposure: 6 seconds.
Development: Self Developed in Kodak Xtol 1+2 dilution in Paterson Universal Tank using the Taco Method. 13 minutes @ 20 degrees Celsius. Kodak indicator stop bath. Ilford Rapid Fixer. Photo-Flo rinse.
Scanning: Negative scanned with Epson V600 in two scans and merged back together in PhotoShop since the V600 doesn't natively support 4x5 scans in one pass.
A 4x5 large format pinhole shot of the pond and waterfall in our backyard. The fish are cold, very cold.
Camera: Home made 4x5 wooden and brass pinhole camera. 0.4mm diameter laser cut pinhole, 90mm focal length giving F225 aperture.
Lens: None.
Film: Arista EDU 100 Ultra 100 ISO B&W Negative Film (Re-branded Fomapan), shot at ISO 64.
Exposure: 6 seconds.
Development: Self Developed in Kodak Xtol 1+2 dilution in Paterson Universal Tank using the Taco Method. 13 minutes @ 20 degrees Celsius. Kodak indicator stop bath. Ilford Rapid Fixer. Photo-Flo rinse.
Scanning: Negative scanned with Epson V600 in two scans and merged back together in PhotoShop since the V600 doesn't natively support 4x5 scans in one pass.
Always time enough to sit and count the snowflakes. This is another 4x5 large format pinhole shot from Lockridge Furnace in Alburtis, Pennsylvania.
Camera: 4x5 large format wooden and brass pinhole camera. 0.4mm diameter laser cut pinhole, 90mm focal length giving F225 aperture.
Lens: None.
Film: Arista EDU 100 Ultra 100 ISO B&W Negative Film (Re-branded Fomapan), shot at ISO 64.
Exposure: 10 seconds.
Development: Self Developed in Kodak Xtol 1+2 dilution in Paterson Universal Tank using the Taco Method. 13 minutes @ 20 degrees Celsius. Kodak indicator stop bath. Ilford Rapid Fixer. Photo-Flo rinse.
Scanning: Negative scanned with Epson V600 in two scans and merged back together in PhotoShop since the V600 doesn't natively support 4x5 scans in one pass. Cropped to desired size in Lightroom 4.
Today's project entry is another pinhole shot from Lockridge Furnace in Alburtis, Pennsylvania. This is one of the railroad sidings that has been converted to a walking trail through the park area. It was once used to haul the raw materials into the furnaces at the Lockridge Furnace complex. One of the rail carts is visible on the remaining section of track.
Camera: 4x5 large format wooden and brass pinhole camera. 0.4mm diameter laser cut pinhole, 90mm focal length giving F225 aperture.
Lens: None.
Film: Arista EDU 100 Ultra 100 ISO B&W Negative Film (Re-branded Fomapan), shot at ISO 64.
Exposure: 10 seconds.
Development: Self Developed in Kodak Xtol 1+2 dilution in Paterson Universal Tank using the Taco Method. 13 minutes @ 20 degrees Celsius. Kodak indicator stop bath. Ilford Rapid Fixer. Photo-Flo rinse.
Scanning: Negative scanned with Epson V600 in two scans and merged back together in PhotoShop since the V600 doesn't natively support 4x5 scans in one pass. Cropped to desired size in Lightroom 4.
Gabe the Great Blue Heron does his best Snowy Egret impersonation while secretly wishing he had gone to Florida with the rest of the boys in November. Cheer up Gabe, the forecast is for two feet more of snow this weekend.
Camera: Home made 4x5 wooden and brass pinhole camera. 0.4mm diameter laser cut pinhole, 90mm focal length giving F225 aperture.
Lens: None. LOL
Film: Arista EDU 100 Ultra 100 ISO B&W Negative Film (Re-branded Fomapan), shot at ISO 64.
Exposure: 6 seconds.
Development: Self Developed in Kodak Xtol 1+2 dilution in Paterson Universal Tank using the Taco Method. 13 minutes @ 20 degrees Celsius. Kodak indicator stop bath. Ilford Rapid Fixer. Photo-Flo rinse.
Scanning: Negative scanned with Epson V600 in two scans and merged back together in PhotoShop since the V600 doesn't natively support 4x5 scans in one pass. Cropped to square in Lightroom 4.
After having a snow forecast that promised only 3-6 inches of snow today, we ended up getting about 11 inches. This was the first of three such storms we are expecting this week. Have I mentioned how much I hate Winter this year ? I decided to take the 4x5 pinhole camera out in the backyard for a few shots about halfway through the storm. In retrospect it was probably a bad decision. When I would pull the dark slide it ended up becoming covered with falling snow and then I had to find a way to dry it off before I put it back in the film holder. I need to outfit the pinhole with a plastic rain/snow jacket and put a pocket in the back to hold the dark slide and keep it dry.
Camera: Home made 4x5 wooden and brass pinhole camera. 0.4mm diameter laser cut pinhole, 90mm focal length giving F225 aperture.
Lens: None. LOL
Film: Arista EDU 100 Ultra 100 ISO B&W Negative Film (Re-branded Fomapan), shot at ISO 64.
Exposure: 6 seconds.
Development: Self Developed in Kodak Xtol 1+2 dilution in Paterson Universal Tank using the Taco Method. 13 minutes @ 20 degrees Celsius. Kodak indicator stop bath. Ilford Rapid Fixer. Photo-Flo rinse.
Scanning: Negative scanned with Epson V600 in two scans and merged back together in PhotoShop since the V600 doesn't natively support 4x5 scans in one pass.
Today's project entry is the first 4x5 pinhole shot. These are the ruins of blast furnace building # 8 at Lockridge Furnace in Alburtis, Pennsylvania. The Furnace opened in 1868 during the peak of the anthracite iron industry and operated until shortly after World War One. I'm using a hand made pinhole camera of wood and brass construction, more of a proof of concept at this point rather than a finished product. My plans are to perfect the design then make it look good. Eventually I'd like to make a 4x10 pinhole design for shooting X-Ray film in half sheets for panoramic shots. For those unfamiliar with pinhole photography, basically it utilizes a simple box that has a very, very tiny hole on one end and the film on the opposite end. When the shutter or latch is opened over the hole, light streams into the box and records the image on the film. Because the hole is so narrow (F225 aperture on this model) it gives an almost infinite depth of field making everything in focus front to back while at the same time making things appear soft and dreamy. It's photography at it's simplest form.
Camera: 4x5 wooden and brass pinhole camera. 0.4mm diameter laser cut pinhole, 90mm focal length giving F225 aperture.
Lens: None. LOL
Film: Arista EDU 100 Ultra 100 ISO B&W Negative Film (Re-branded Fomapan), shot at ISO 64.
Exposure: 9 seconds. Metered and timed with Pinhole Assist app on iPhone.
Development: Self Developed in Kodak Xtol 1+2 dilution in Paterson Universal Tank using the Taco Method. 13 minutes @ 20 degrees Celsius. Tap water stop bath. Ilford Rapid Fixer. Photo-Flo rinse.
Scanning: Negative scanned with Epson V600 in two scans and merged back together in PhotoShop since the V600 doesn't natively support 4x5 scans in one pass.