Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
From a complicated, time-consuming and expensive process to the simple press of a button, photography has come a very long way since the first cameras came along in the early 1800’s.
The vast majority of this fascinating evolution can be seen in this video where Chris Marquardt went on a private tour of Kodak’s technology vault.
Think you’ve got an impressive camera collection? Wait until you see this 8,500-strong collection of almost every significant camera invented in the last 200 years.
Earlier this week the Brighton and Hove Pride parade was stopped due to a suspicious package. You can understand the authorities for wanting to protect the 160,000 attendees and watches of the parade.
At first it was suspected that a suspicious looking object was left in the parade route intentionally to disrupt it, and a bomb disposal unit was called in to detonate the package in a controlled manner.
However the last reports suggest that the package was not suspicious at all, it was a pinhole camera.
It’s been a very long while since we shared a good pinhole camera tutorial and Ondrej Revicky just made it better by sharing the pattern and instructions for building a character-full pinhole camera called TEFAU.
Tefau is 100% made of paper that you can make by downloading this PDF and printing it on somewhat heavy paper. Ondrej explains the basics behind any pinhole camera, which also drove his a design:
Have you suffered crushing disappointment from never realizing your dreams of becoming a camera maker? I haven’t, but, hey…it’s your story; write it any way you choose.
However, if you have always wanted to construct your own camera on the cheap, Pixel Análogo has come to your rescue. They detail (in Spanish) how to construct your own pinhole camera using trash and materials around your house, AND they provide free, downloadable templates to help you along the way.
There is a Seinfeld episode where George loses his glasses, yet he is able to spot a coin on the floor by squinting. Without knowing the team at Seinfeld made a very elegant scientific experiment comparing lenses to pin holes.
A Lens makes things sharp by focusing rays of light coming from a source so the rays converge on a single sport.
A pinhole, on the other hand, only allows light to enter from a single direction thus not letting it blur.
Both aspects are very clearly explained in this video by MinutePhysics.
In the world of photography products, there aren’t many surprises. We see variations on themes. New strap styles may seek to innovate (and sometimes succeed), but when you get right down to it, they’re straps. “New and Improved” sensor cleaning systems may improve on those that came before, but it’s still a blower or a swab or an electro-static stroke of marketing genius aimed at convincing you that this next purchase is the one that’s going to put your photography over the top. I know…this all sounds a bit jaded, and maybe it is. A little. So, you can imagine how happy I was when something truly different found its way across my desk recently.
You can find out more about John on his website and follow his adventures on YouTube and Facebook.
His videos have over a hundred million views, have been extensively published by news outlets, and has even received recognition from a few film festivals, such as International Ocean Festival
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