How to Make an 8x10 Pinhole Camera

A camera is nothing more than a box with a hole in it. This is an easy homemade pinhole camera you can make large enough to hold standard 8 x 10 photo paper.

Things You'll Need

• 10-inch square box 

• Scissors
• Exacto knife

• Thin cardboard or poster board 

• 2-inch square aluminum foil 

• 8 x 10 black and white photographic paper 

• Black electrical tape 

• Glue 

• Needle 

• Black cloth or plastic 

• Double-sided tape

Instructions

Make the Pinhole Camera

1. Spray paint the inside and outside of the box with black paint. This prevents light from reflecting and polluting your photograph. If your box has a lid, paint this too. If it has flaps, be sure to paints all sides, inside and out.

2. On the outside of the box mark the exact center of that side. Cut a 1/2-inch square in the center on that wall.

3. Take the 2-inch square of aluminum foil and make a pin-hole in the exact center. Twist a needle just until the tip goes through the foil. The tinier and cleaner the hole, the crisper and more detailed your photos will be.

4. Place a piece of black tape on either side of the square of aluminum foil and spread a thin layer of glue completely around the outside edges. Be very careful not to cover the hole.

5. From the inside of the box, center the pinhole over the window you cut out earlier and press firmly. Allow to dry completely.

6. Take two strips of thin poster board, about 1/2-inch thick and 4-inches long. On the outside of your camera, place them just above and just below the pinhole. Only glue each end, leaving the center of each strip unattached.

7. Cut another strip of poster board about 1 inch wide and 4 inches long. Bend the top back to create a tab. Slide the bottom end of the strip through the strips you attached in Step 6 to cover the pinhole. You should be able to slide this "shutter" up to reveal the pinhole and then back down to cover it easily without moving the camera.

8. Cut a section of black cloth or plastic and glue one end halfway around the top of your box. Allow it to fold over the back of the camera, covering the lid (or folded top) of your box. This prevents light from leaking into the camera at the top.

9. Always load the camera in a darkroom. Place a piece of double-sided tape on the back of a piece of 8 x 10 black and white photographic paper. Fold back the cloth and remove the lid. Using double-sided tape, tape the paper on the back wall inside your camera, exactly opposite the pinhole "lens." Be sure it will not move when you move the camera around.

Take A Photo With a Pinhole Camera

1. Select your subject and place the camera on a sturdy surface in front of it.

2. Without moving or shaking the camera, slide the "shutter" (the thin strip of poster board) back to reveal the pinhole.

3. After a few seconds, slide the shutter back to cover the pinhole.

4. Take the camera back to the darkroom, remove the 8 x 10 photo paper and place it immediately in developing chemical. When you finish developing the photo, it will be a mirror image of the scene you photographed (or a "negative").

5. To make a "positive" print, place the developed photo upside down over another piece of photo paper and expose it in the darkroom (as your would with normal film). This print will be the exact scene you photographed, not a mirror image.

Tips & Warnings

• Make several pinhole cameras to experiment with different sizes of holes. 


• A square of tin from a soda can is an excellent substitute for aluminum foil. It is sturdier and lasts longer. 


• A camera with automatic settings is able to read light and make the best exposure. Your pinhole camera cannot do that. You will have to experiment with hole long your leave your camera open to get the best details and best exposures.

• Remember, extremely sunny days will require less time than cloudy days.

• You may decorate the outside of your pinhole camera with paint, stickers or cut-outs if you want.

• Always load and unload your pinhole camera in a darkroom. Do not expose the photographic paper to light until it has been developed in a dark room properly. 


• Always keep your pinhole camera closed and the shutter closed unless taking a photograph. 


• A fine pinhole will create sharper images. 


• Photography paper can only be developed in a personal darkroom. Commercial film developers will not develop the paper for you. You must have access to a developing darkroom to experiment with pinhole photography. Check your local colleges and high schools to see if you can get access to their facilities.