Pinhole Camera Project = Hands on Learning

The Trailblazer class explored optics principles through building and using pinhole cameras. They started this experience by observing what happened inside a camera obscura (a dark room with only one small hole through which light may pass). Students were surprised that the image was upside-down and backwards, but a quick lesson on how light passed through that small hole made sense of this demonstration.

Having been introduced to optics principles through this demonstration, students proceeded to investigate light and images through the experiential, hands-on project of building their own pinhole camera. The process of creating a camera and taking many pictures allowed students the time and opportunity to accumulate concrete understanding, and the experience and its associated intellectual and emotional excitement served as a wonderful bridge into discussions of the more abstract optics principles.

Next students made their own camera out of an oatmeal container, some tape, and a small piece of flat metal. They painted the inside of the containers black, poked a small hole in the flat metal, and cut out a flap in the side of the container over which they taped the flat metal. A small piece of light-proof tape served as the shutter.

Many Trailblazers were incredulous that this simple contraption would produce images.

After loading a piece of photographic paper in the canister, students roamed the campus to find a good image. After settling the cameras, which had wood bases attached for stability, students removed the shutter for anywhere between several seconds to several minutes. They then replaced their shutter and brought the exposed image to the darkroom.

In the safety of dim red light, students dropped their blank paper into the developer and watched as images appeared. The oohs and aahs emerging from that room and the students' eagerness to repeat this activity clearly communicated how exciting it was to watch the results of building a camera and taking pictures.

When all the photos were developed and dry, we scanned them, reversed the images and inverted the blacks and whites to create digital positive images.