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Make Your Own Camera Obscura [Instructables How-To]

Sure, your smartphone and point-and-shoot take pictures just fine, but do they look like this?

The tech revolution has enabled anyone with a point-and-shoot (or cellphone) and a Facebook account to share their photography “skills” with the world. While we totally encourage the creation and sharing of artwork on the internet, we hope that technique, artistry and an attention to detail aren’t lost along the way. Our new digital photography column, Digital Dark Room, aims to highlight the history and different disciplines within the genre of photography and show you how to practice them yourself… even if all you’re using is an iPhone app.

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This week’s Instructables How-To shows you how to construct your own pinhole camera. Along the same lines as ‘a good meal tastes better when you make it yourself’ we think photographs that bear the mark of human hands often yield some of the most interesting images.

The materials you will need, some of which can be found around the house, include a shoebox, photo paper, a thin piece of metal, electrical tape, an exacto knife, needle, and sandpaper. Access to a darkroom is imperative since this Instructable doesn’t utilize film. The first step is making your pinhole (the “lens” of your camera) by sticking the needle through the thin piece of metal, which you will then trim, sand smooth, and set aside.

Next choose your box, making sure it is completely lightproof when the lid is shut. Paint the whole thing black and cut a small square opening for the pinhole. Tape the pinhole behind the square opening with electrical tape, making sure the hole is centered. Then make a shutter from more electrical tape that will cover the pinhole from the outside, and mount on the box.

Now it’s time to load the photo paper. Go into a bathroom or closet (you will have to be in complete darkness) and remove a piece of photo paper from its protective sheath. Tape the paper inside the box across from the pinhole and close the lid. After you make sure the shutter is closed, you can go back into the light.

Go outside, open the shutter, and experiment with the camera. The technique will work best when it’s bright and sunny out, or during sunset. Play around with how long you expose the paper… the author suggests anywhere from 30 seconds to four minutes. The steadier you hold your camera, the clearer your pictures will be.

The only drawback is that you’ll have to return to your bathroom or closet to switch the pieces of paper between shots. Keep the exposed strips of paper in the dark (in a protective covering is best) until you can access a darkroom. To see what you’ll need to make a makeshift darkroom see Step 7.

Visit the Instructables How-To for further instruction, more detailed photographs, and tips on where to buy materials. If you’d rather try your hand at making a homemade 35mm camera that utilizes real film, check out this Instructable.