Pinhole photography has been my primary art medium since 2006. A pinhole camera has
no lens, and pinhole photography is therefore a type of lensless photography.
Instead of the light entering the camera through a lens, it enters through a small circular
hole (a fraction of a millimeter in diameter) to strike the film and thereby
create the exposure. My pinhole photography has thus far been film-based, on either medium
format film or large format (4x5) film. The cameras that I use include
Zero
Image cameras, Abelson Scope Works
cameras, and a couple of other handmade cameras. In general, all of my cameras have very wide
fields of view, ranging from 120 degrees to 160 degrees.
The unique characteristic of a pinhole camera is its ability to image with an effectively
infinite depth of field. Everything from a fraction of an inch from the camera, all the
way to infinity, appears at the same level of focus in the image. This enables one to
record texture in intimate detail across all distance scales in the field of view
and it enables one to explore near to far perspectives, in which nearby objects appear
much larger (but in focus) relative to more distant objects (also in focus).
Infinite depth of field comes with two tradeoffs, however. First, the photographer loses the
ability to purposely limit depth of field, and second, exposure times are comparatively very
long. When shooting outdoors in bright sunshine, exposure times are roughly one second, and,
for dimly lit interiors like churches, exposure times typically range from thirty to sixty
minutes! These longer exposure times cause me to always use a tripod, typically
with a cable shutter release to open and close the camera's wood shutter that lies in front
of the pinhole.
My main subjects of interest are
architectures,
landscapes, and
portraits. I enjoy giving visual presentations on pinhole photography, and I also do
pinhole photography by commission.
My work has been published in print-based books, electronic books, magazines,
and blogs, and I have been interviewed about my photography. I show my work in
exhibitions, and my art has been purchased by enthusiasts and photography art collectors.
Prints of my art photography are available for purchase here.
