Gersh Photo Post | Max Gersh | Multimedia Photojournalist

Before we ever touched an SLR in my high school Photo 1 class, my teacher wanted us to understand the basic mechanics and physics of a camera. There was no better way to do that then by building a pinhole camera.

A pinhole camera works on the same principle of a camera obscura. Light comes in through a small hole (no lens) and is inverted and projected on whatever medium is available.

The camera we built was made out of cardboard, glue and tape. The pinhole was punched into a small aluminum plate. I later added wooden rods for support and to hold a tripod mount.

My pinhole camera. ©2011 Max Gersh

What really made this camera unique was its sliding film plane that acted like a zoom. If the film plane was right against the front, it was a somewhat wide angle pinhole. When drawn back, it was “zoomed.”

My pinhole camera pulled apart, showing the body, film plane and light back. ©2011 Max Gersh

My pinhole camera pulled apart, showing the body, film plane and light back. ©2011 Max Gersh

I shoot on cut pieces of photo paper. The same stuff you would use in a darkroom to make prints. It records a negative. You can take the negative back to the darkroom and sandwich it with a piece of unexposed paper to make a positive. For the purpose of this post, I just scanned the negative print and inverted the tones in Photoshop.

This shot was a 1.5 hour exposure in my college newsroom from on top of a shelf.

Black and white 4x5 image shot on photo print paper in a pinhole camera. ©2011 Max Gersh

And here is the positive.

Black and white 4x5 image shot on photo print paper in a pinhole camera. ©2011 Max Gersh

Here is a seven second exposure outdoors on a sunny day on the quad at my university.

Black and white 4x5 image shot on photo print paper in a pinhole camera. ©2011 Max Gersh

And the positive.

Black and white 4x5 image shot on photo print paper in a pinhole camera. ©2011 Max Gersh

I also played around with color darkroom paper a bit, using Fuji Crystal Archive paper.

Color 4x5 image shot on Fuji Crystal Archive paper in a pinhole camera. ©2011 Max Gersh

Color 4x5 image shot on Fuji Crystal Archive paper in a pinhole camera. ©2011 Max Gersh

Color 4x5 image shot on Fuji Crystal Archive paper in a pinhole camera. ©2011 Max Gersh

I’m posting this now after recetly seeing a friends pinhole camera that is small and shoots on 35mm film. It uses two film canisters and a matchbox. Really cool stuff. I love that they can be modified in so many ways. They are so basic. I’m thinking about building one for 120 film in the future. But this 4×5 one is so fun!

For me, film represents everything I love about photography. Don’t get me wrong. Digital sensors have completely revolutionized photography - especially photojournalism.

But where would we be today without digital? Film photography is more that an art form. It is a science. It takes knowledge to be a professional. Today, anyone with a load of cash can buy the latest and greatest gear. There is no need to worry about messing up. If a picture turns out poorly, it can be erased. All you need to do is check your local CraigsList postings to see how many “professionals” there are now.

Generally speaking, it takes an antiquated professional to know what I am talking about when I say “reciprocity failure” or if I mention the Scheimpflug principle. Many folks don’t know the difference between a zoom lens and a telephoto lens. Thought and creativity has vastly left photography for many shooters.

After getting my Hasselblad recently, I decided to go through some of my film from the past. I scanned a few 4×5 positives that I shot a few years ago on a Sinar large format camera.

A Lego man shot super macro to fill a sheet of 4x5 film. ©2010 Max Gersh

I remember the challenge I had to make this photo. On a large format camera, to focus, you extend the bellows between the lens and the film. To achieve this close of a focus, my bellows were over four feet long and the entire camera rig was supported by three tripods. Remember, this image filled a 4×5 inch sheet of film. This is MANY times greater than life size.

Once I acquired focus, the lighting was another challenge. I had to fire off my strobes about 15 times to build up enough light.

Misc. China things shot on a Sinar 4x5 camera representing the Scheimpflug principle. ©2010 Max Gersh

This picture may seem somewhat bland on its face, but it showcases the Scheimpflug principle - a way of focusing on a plane rather than by distance.

This picture also is gearing me up for one of my hopes of 2010 - to visit Shanghai, China for the World Expo. I’d love to be sent there on assignment but I might settle for a personal visit. Shanghai is truly one of the greatest cities I’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting.

So, in summary, my goals for 2010 are:

1. Visit China again
2. Shoot more film

Two things. I should be able to handle that.

My challenge to the rest of the world - take time taking pictures. Think about what you’re doing. Try something different. Slow down and make nice images. The rest of the world will appreciate it.