Photography - equipment

For my photography unit we were asked to write a report on 5 different types of photographing equipment. I decided to write one post with all 5 different types. Starting with Pin hole.

Pin hole camera/ Solar Can

A pinhole camera is a light proof box without a lens but with a tiny aperture, a pinhole, on one side. Light  passes through the aperture and projects an inverted image on the opposite side of the box.

I have never used a 'pin hole camera' but i have used a Solar Can, which uses the same principle.

The Solarcan was invented by photographer Sam Cornwell.

https://solarcan.co.uk/

https://www.instagram.com/thesolarcan/

https://twitter.com/thesolarcan?lang=en

The Solarcan is a unique camera designed to capture the Sun’s path across the sky. It is made from a tin can which has light sensitive paper curved around the inside. It works the same way as the pinhole camera. Point your can south, as the sun moves across the sky it exposes its path onto the paper inside the can. The longer you leave your can the more 'paths' you will see from the movement of the sun, leaving it more than 6 months will just cause an overlap of where the sun has already been on the paper.

The solar can has a lot of advantages.  Is it very easy to use, it comes with instructions and there is so much online support for you if you are unsure. It is light and compact so you can take it on a huge trek and install it somewhere. It is very easy to 'install' and doesn't take longer than a few minutes. You can make your own version of this with a beer can or reuse the original solar can with duct tape. You can also do a lot of different things with a solar can, one woman in my class last year put it on a string and let it swing in the wind, creating a very unique and different effect.

Saying this you could also see the disadvantages of this type of photography. The first one that comes to mind for me is it being damaged from leaving it out in public. People like to destroy things or maybe just out of curiosity might want to take it down and have a look. Another is the amount of time it takes to get a good image, or how sensitive the paper is, once you take it out to scan that image fades even if you put it back in the can quickly.

I personally really like the solar can/ pinhole technique. I think the waiting time is exciting and some of the images i have seen on Instagram are amazing. ( link above)


Smart phone cameras.

This is the type of camera i use the most. I have an I phone 7 and the camera on it is a very good, point and shoot style camera. My smart phone specs are 12MP lens, an improved f/1.8 aperture sensor (for better lower light photos) an enhanced ability to gather color and light into the lens, and a dedicated image processing chip to speed things along when taking multiple snaps. The front facing camera has a 7MP option when you're taking pictures of yourself – and that's meant to be better in lower light.

regardless of my love of phone cameras they have a few downsides to them.


You cant customize your settings in the same way you could with a DSLR camera like exposure, aperture, shutter speed and they usually have a lower res.  Most smartphones have a lens with the focal length equivalent of 28 to 35mm. This is great for capturing a whole scene, but it makes it more difficult to get good separation between the subject and background unless you get fairly close and to create a Bokeh effect.

I think there are a lot of advantages to a smart phone camera. The reasons i love to use them are because of how light weight and easy to have on you it is. You can just put it in your pocket and you have a camera available all the time.

I also think it is so good for people who do photography as a hobby, artists that use other mediums so capture something that inspires them and just people who want to take photos of friends and family because it is so easy to use. You can also edit them from your phone and upload them so easily. 

I have been able to capture a lot of good  images on my smart phone. 

Disposable camera

Kodak Ultra disposable camera with inbuilt flash

A disposable or single-use camera is a simple box camera meant to be used once. Most have a fixed focus lens. 

Some have actual cartridges used for loading normal, reusable cameras, others just have the film wound inside on an open spool. 

These are not as popular now for a few of its disadvantages. The process of getting these developed is time consuming, compared to camera where you can upload straight away on your computer or access from your phone. Going along with that the end result is physical so if you wanted them uploaded ( like most people do now) you would have to scan it in. 

You also cannot edit this, as they are physical you would have to scan it in and edit it that way. Which seems like a long process if that is what you want from the image. 

Another is the fact that you dont know how it is going to turn out or if it will be developed. I know people who still have to pay the £10+ if only 4 pictures actually get developed. But in saying that i would also argue that can be seen as an advantage as well, not knowing how the photo will turn out, waiting for the images and the whole process is kind of exciting. 

Another advantage is that that is it so light weight and easy to carry around with you, compared to a bigger camera. I am not sure how popular this camera is now but i know a few photographers that still swear by this type of photography. 

Scanography


Scanography, more commonly referred to as scanner photography, is the process of capturing digitized images of objects for the purpose of creating printable art using a flatbed "photo" scanner

Scanography is interesting because it is not always seen as a camera. I have used a photocopying machine before to create images, using it to scan flowers to then create collages or to scan my face, I have seen other artists use it to create brilliant pieces for example these by Richard Dawson 

I think it has allot of advantages in how instant it is and also how you can manipulate an image by moving it along with it as it takes photos. Obviously it isn't going to be very high guilty image as it is just meant to copy flat paper, but that again can work in your advantage. It also absent from depth of field and perspective. 

I like this form of photography, I think it is so unique. It is not quite macro photography but it also kind of is, it is not a drawing but it is so similar almost like in between a photograph and a drawing.


Polaroid camera


The instant camera is a type of camera which uses self-developing film to create a chemically developed print shortly after taking the picture.

these cameras retail at around £60-80. But also then you have to think about the additional expense of film. I think this is a reason why it is not as popular now.But in saying that it is quite attractive as it ultimately produces something that’s different to a digital file.

Having physical images can hold so much more attachment, i also think this style of photography is trending as it is ' vintage'.

I think the trend of these are a little funny beacuse people take these images then take a photo of the images of their smart phone and upload it to show that they took a physical image.

Like i said above about the disposable camera there is something nice about physical images you are less precious with the composition or how things look when you are viewing them but at the same time you take more time when taking the image to think about composition, positioning and lighting.