{"id":4225,"date":"2015-09-22T13:28:19","date_gmt":"2015-09-22T17:28:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/huntsville.dopperonline.ca\/?p=4225"},"modified":"2018-10-01T13:25:44","modified_gmt":"2018-10-01T17:25:44","slug":"former-computer-techie-rekindles-love-for-pinhole-photography","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/doppleronline.ca\/huntsville\/former-computer-techie-rekindles-love-for-pinhole-photography\/","title":{"rendered":"Former computer techie rekindles love for pinhole photography"},"content":{"rendered":"[ratings]\n

Sandy McLennan compares pinhole photography to being like magic.<\/p>\n

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\u201cYou never really know what you\u2019re going to get. When you take a picture, you\u2019re seeing and imagining it. When you put photo paper in and develop in a darkroom, the image appears. It\u2019s like a time travel experience. It might be what you thought, it might be better or it might be worse. It\u2019s a fun and exciting experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

A pinhole camera is a light-proof box in which the only way light gets through is literally through a pinhole. Using a piece of photograph paper, tape is then taken off the pinhole and then a waiting time of one minute is required in order for an image to be exposed.<\/p>\n

\"Sandy<\/a>

Sandy McLennan with his pinhole camera and an image he developed. That’s his photo enlarger in the background. Photo submitted by Sandy McLennan<\/p><\/div>\n

Last week, McLennan, a retired computer technician and film photography teacher, offered a special three-session course in pinhole photography to a group of Grade 12 media arts students.<\/p>\n

I think this type of photography helps them understand taking a picture, exposure, aperture and the variables you need to make an image with light. Once they got a handle on it, they got into the art of it.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Students were required to make a pinhole camera using shoeboxes or constructing one out of cardboard using a template he provided. Once the box was completed, they had to find something that appealed to them to photograph. Thanks to McLennan\u2019s portable darkroom that he made himself, students were able to develop their images almost immediately.<\/p>\n

\"Sandy<\/a>

Sandy McLennan’s demonstration pinhole camera he used at the high school. Photo submitted by Sandy McLennan<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThey got a kick out of it,\u201d he said. \u201cLike any class, some are more keen to wanted to do it again and others simply got the assignment done. I think this type of photography helps them understand taking a picture, exposure, aperture and the variables you need to make an image with light. Once they get a handle on it, they got into the art of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was originally McLennan\u2019s love for black and white photography that led him to experiment with a pinhole camera. Back in the early 1980s, McLennan applied for and received a grant from the Ontario Arts Council to offer courses on pinhole photography. He attended various local elementary schools, including V.K. Greer in Port Sydney, and taught students the how to make and use a pinhole camera. He still has some of the images he developed with students from the schools.<\/p>\n

To be able to do it again three decades later with the high school was somewhat of a nostalgic experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cStarting with this simple camera forces you to understand variables. You really have to use head and hands to get your first picture. The photographs have a different look to them. If the kids get a handle on how to get good exposure, they love it. They hover over the drying rack.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t\t