Pinhole Paper Cameras

The modern camera is a wonderful thing, but it's nice to remember how simple the mechanism can be. You can strip away the technology until there is little left but the abstraction on which the machine is based. A simple manipulation of space, a few materials, and a couple of hand tools and the magic (physics) is at your fingertips without sophisticated engineering.

To simplify these cameras as much as possible I made them out of the 11x14 inch photo-paper itself. There is no film in the camera because the camera is the film. Like a salad bowl made of lettuce leaf, and consumed with the meal, the camera doesn't exist after its utility is fulfilled. There is no machine. It is more of an arrangement than a thing.

Since it is color paper, sensitive to the full spectrum of visible light, there is no "safe" light recommended for darkroom work. Each paper box camera is cut, folded, and constructed in the dark and kept in a dark bag until its moment in the sun has come.

The pinhole in the brass plate is all that is needed to project an image into the inside surface of the box (more on that later), but light also seeps through the cracks and flaps of the box construction and soaks through the black tape that holds the whole thing together. The streaks and burns and flares that appear on the final image are the result of this ambient radiation and although it can be somewhat controlled, it also depends largely on "random" factors.

Back in the darkroom, the brass lens plate is folded back like a hatch-cover in the Mark I (the Rectangle), revealing the hole in the box. In the Mark II (The Square) the lens plate caps the apex of the pyramid and can be removed by tearing away the tape that holds it in place. A funnel is placed in the hole and the camera becomes like a leaky juice carton as the chemicals are poured in and sloshed around for a couple of minutes each. Rigorous adherence to optimal chemistry technique is already out the window here, so I decided not too worry too much as long as the times and temperatures were in the ballpark.

Finally, with the lights on, the whole box is immersed in a pan of water, the black masking tape is peeled off and the box is opened flat to display its inner surface.

The first design, subsequently called the Mark I, is shaped like a camera. It allows for a largish rectangle as the main image area in the center of the paper and provides an overlap of paper at the front, which I figured would help in achieving a properly squared-up and light-tight construction working by touch alone. It also uses up a great deal of paper as box flaps.

The Mark II is the design that puts the maximum surface area on the back wall of the box. The light passing through the pinhole is conical in structure and the pyramid conforms with this, wasting no paper on the front corners. It is also a little easier to build in the dark, requiring 12 instead of 22 cuts. It is simpler to align and tape up, and easier to open when done.

These are extremely wide-angle pictures. the angle of view seems to be about 170° as the image wraps around the inside of the box almost all the way back to the aperture. There is no "fish-eye" optical distortion as with a wide-angel lens because light travel through a pinhole in a straight line whereas a glass lens bends light as it gathers it. the distortion that is evident here is caused by the various planes of the box sides intersecting the sphere of light at different angles. This stretches sections of the field of view like a mercator map projection.

Like a mirror, the scene is flipped left to right, which is why a familiar location may not look quite right.

Find Great Color Palettes

I am going to let you in on one of the best ways to find interesting color combinations and palettes. In fact, it is one we often employ in the development of our web designs. The beauty of it is that it does not have a steep learning curve (in fact, you will find it quite relaxing). Are you ready?

One of the best places to find great color palettes and combinations is in Nature! I keep a digital camera with me at all times. Especially during the Spring and Summer, as I walk through parks, on beaches, or through gardens, I study Nature for color usage. I will often see a color palette in a flower, orchid, rock or shell, in a leaf turning color during the Fall. . . I photograph the item and add it to a digital database. Later, I will browse this database for color ideas when a new project is started.

Try it yourself. Get away from the computer and study the true master of color - Nature itself! You may find it to be a delightful source of inspiration and ideas.

Does Color Matter?

"Research reveals all human beings make a subconscious judgment about an item within 90 seconds of initial viewing and that between 62% and 90% of that assessment is based on color alone."

That statement, from the INSTITUTE FOR COLOR RESEARCH, demonstrates the dominant role that color plays in influencing potential customers! Are you a business owner who uses the Internet for marketing? Ask yourself: What subconscious judgment will potential customers make when visiting your website? Will the colors attract and motivate, or repel the buyer, turning into a lost sale?

Is color really so important? Well, in a recent survey, almost 40% of American car buyers stated that they would change car brands if they cannot get the color of their choice! Yes, we can rightly conclude that color really matters.

I Have long believed that color is the single greatest way to influence website viewers. You may have a very creative layout with cutting edge functionality. Yet, if the colors are not right, it may well cancel out any positive perceptions formed by viewers. Conversely, great color can often overcome other flaws in the website design.

When viewers and potential customers contact me, it is most often the use of color that is complimented. Even without the benefit of the research stated above, for better or for worse, color has an overwhelming impact on website viewers.

In conclusion, the best advice I can give any web designer is this: Choose your colors well! It is the single design element that most often determines the success of your web design.

Search Engine Optimization & Web Design

Beautiful Web Design is only beautiful when it has an audience. By and large, that audience will be directed to your website through major search engines like GOOGLE and YAHOO. If your business web site is not properly optimized for search engines, you miss traffic from potential customers!

Therefore, good Web Design is always a compromise between the visual art of the web designer, and the technical demands of the search engine. Realistic web designers understand this, and focus on creating web sites that look good both to the viewer and the search engine.

Search engine optimization has often been promoted as a 'black art'-- a secret skill known only by a few technical gurus. However, the real art of search engine optimization has more to do with employing common sense strategies in the web design process, and website maintenance. Also, patience and time are key factors, as it often takes months for search engines to recognize any changes done to improve the website.

An excellent common sense guide to search engine optimization is 7 SIMPLE STRATEGIES READY SITE FOR SEARCH, by Keith Robinson. This article avoids the quick-fix, high-risk tricks used by shady search engine "experts", and focuses on the sound, long-term strategies that make websites search engine friendly. In fact, the strategies found in this article have long been used by CharlestonImage.com to help our clients achieve better search engine traffic. This will help small business owners to grasp the basic principles of search engine optimization that really work!