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Last month we spent a Sunday at home, catching up on jobs around the house. I decided I’d document them using my pinhole camera, starting off with Kevin washing my car.
From there I did a spot of gardening, a huge pile of ironing and eventually we sat down to watch the Grand Prix on TV - an active day in slow motion, pinhole style!
Photos taken 23 July 2023
One hot summer’s afternoon I decided that if I was going to have my daily walk it would need to be somewhere shady, so I headed for Alsa Woods.
Naturally I took a camera along and on this occasion I decided on some slow photography. I had no fixed ideas about what I wanted to photograph, but just kept an open mind and looked for interesting subjects and views through the woods.
There was barely a breath of wind but I wanted some movement in this photo, so I created my own by blowing across the leaves during the 45 seconds the shutter was open!
A ghostly self portrait on the footbridge crossing the M11 motorway.
I intended to take another ethereal self portrait sitting on the tyre swing, but I found a teenage boy sitting on it next to his bike. It struck me this might be even better than my planned photo and fortunately he didn’t mind me including him in the photo!
Photos taken 24 June 2023
It’s very rare I use colour film in my pinhole cameras but for my trip to Wales in June I loaded up a roll of Kodak Ektar.
Castell Coch
Getting really close to the daisies on the platform at Cynghordy Station.
Frustratingly the rest of the film didn’t quite live up to expectations. Pinhole photography often induces colour shifts because of the longer exposure times, but on this occasion the colours were completely crazy! I didn’t want to throw the photos away so instead I experimented with converting the negatives to monochome instead.
To my astonishment they work much better in mono than colour. I guess, with strong sunshine, I should have realised it was really a black and white sort of day so at least I’ve learnt a lesson!
Photos taken June 2023
After my pinhole photography binge in Scotland it was a couple of weeks before I got round to finishing off my final roll of film from our holiday. During my travels for work I kept an eye open for interesting locations and my last five photos were all taken around churches I discovered along the way.
My first stop was the redundant church of St Michael and All Angels near Caldicot in South Wales, now cared for by the Friends of the Friendless Churches. It’s tucked away in the corner of a working farmyard so it was no surprise to find I had the place to myself - it’s not as if you’re going to come here by accident!
Looking out from churchyard to farmyard!
A few days later I found myself near Salisbury and had a little time to while away before work. I stopped off at the church in Coombe Bissett, where I’d stayed the previous night, and caught this image as the stiff breeze wafted the tree branches above my head.
It was too dark to take any photos inside the church (each image would have taken about an hour!) so I continued on my way and stopped in Bishopston for a walk around the church there. Again, the interior was too dark for pinhole photography, but I found this intriguing mausoleum on the exterior of the church which was the perfect way to use up the final frame of my film.
Photos taken May 2023
The last Sunday in April is always a red letter day for pinhole photographers as it’s Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day. This year it happened to coincide with our holiday in Scotland so I was sure to find some good photo opportunities.
Our chosen destination for WPPD was the Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway - a heritage steam railway on the south coast of the Firth of Fort. I decided to take just my pinhole camera and tripod so I could focus all my attention on slow photography. We hopped on the first train of the day and I couldn’t resist taking a selfie as we steamed through the Scottish landscape. Old steam trains rarely move quickly. but this one minute exposure makes it look like we’re traveling at warp speed!
A trio of platform scenes from Bo’ness station. Click on any image to see it enlarged.
I’d also taken my table top tripod along so I was able to get down really low if I wanted to.
Views of the station and tracks from ground level and up on the bridge.
The restoration shed is home to several ongoing projects, in various states of decay/rebuild.
The museum sheds over the bridge were full of interesting engines and carriages but most were too dark to contemplate taking a pinhole photo. I’m prepared to wait for a few minutes, but when the exposure time runs into half an hour or more I usually admit defeat!
In the post train it was only going to take four and a half minutes to take a photo so I decided to have some fun. I settled on one of the seats and patiently posed as though I was sorting post into the cubby holes, shifting every minute or two so I could show the passing of time. I had no idea if this would work, but it’s come out just as I’d hoped!
I made sure I was up on top of the bridge ready for the arrival of a train back in the station and this is what it looks like as a steam train passes directly beneath your feet. Just as I closed the shutter I was engulfed in steam!
The engine steams gently as the water tank is refilled, ready for its next journey. One of the joys of heritage railways is that nothing happens in a tearing hurry so I was able to plan all my images and then still had time to dash to the other end of the platform to catch it manoeuvring to hitch back up to the carriages.
I caught the left hand image as the freshly refilled engine steamed out from beneath the station canopy and then had just enough time to wind my film on before it reversed up from the points to rejoin the carriages.
The engine team were fascinated by my pinhole camera and kindly posed for a team photo!
My final two shots were captured as the train went out on its last journey of the day. I realised I’d just got time to take two photos but didn’t quite wind the film on far enough so I ended up with an accidentally overlapping double image. A complete mishap but I rather like the result!
Photos taken Sunday 30th April 2023
During our recent Scottish holiday I took a two pronged approach to my photography - sometimes I’d use a digital camera, while on other days I focused on pinhole photography. On our first day we walked across the causeway to Cramond Island and on this occasion I did a little of both, taking a couple of pinhole photos as we crossed and from the derelict guard’s station.
A day or two later we visited the Falkirk Wheel and the Kelpies - both places I’ve photographed before. That gave me the opportunity to take a different approach, using just my pinhole camera.
We caught the first boat trip of the morning on the boat lift and it was quiet enough that I was able to capture a couple of images while on board. Travelling on a canal boat is a slow process at the best of times, but the slower pinhole exposures made it look positively speedy at times!
After our trip we returned to the top of the boat lift, this time on foot to admire the elegant aqueduct and look at the locks on the canal above. While we were there the next tour boat came through and I timed it just right to catch it apparently speeding along the aqueduct - in reality it was probably doing no more than two miles per hour!
The bottom lock, from above and below.
Just before we left I was able to catch the wheel in action and I was delighted to be able to capture a sense of the motion as it turned slowly. My final image shows the wheel at rest once again, but if you look closely you can see the blur of a canal boat emerging.
From here we travelled on to the Kelpies - a pair of astonishing metal sculptures on the outskirts of Falkirk. They’re thirty metres tall, but thanks to my camera’s wide angle of view I was able to get remarkably close and still fit them in whole.
The pools which surround the Kelpies gave me some great opportunities for reflections too.
Photos taken April 2023
Before we headed home from Goodwood I spent one more day exploring, this time using just my pinhole camera. I started off in Arundel, just following my nose and photographing whatever caught my eye.
The last time I visited St Nicholas’ Church was when I gave a concert here about 20 years ago. It was a little too dark inside for pinhole photography, but the churchyard was very photogenic. Click on any image to see it enlarged.
Across the road, the Cathedral was a sunnier place so I was able to photograph inside.
From the Cathedral I headed back out onto the quiet streets of Arundel.
A dramatic splash of flare from the sun behind the bridge over the River Arun.
Eventually I left Arundel and wandered back via Boxgrove Priory. The interior of the church was catching some beautiful sunshine and I couldn’t resist a ghostly self portrait beneath the arches of the ruined priory.
Photos taken 17 April 2023
After my adventures in Glasgow my pinhole camera saw some more action around Edinburgh. I had no particular agenda, but followed my nose and photographed what I saw around me.
Elegant University buildings.
On my final day I took a stroll along the Water of Leith.
St. Bernard’s Well
Down by the water’s edge. I hadn’t noticed the whirlpool in the second image until I scanned the negative.
The elegant buildings of Dean Village lining the river.
My final destination of the day was Greyfriar’s Kirkyard. Scottish graveyards are always wonderfully dramatic and perfect pinhole material!
Photos taken 3 April 2023
A pinhole camera came along for the ride for my visit to Scotland at the beginning of the month and one of my first destinations was a jaunt to Glasgow to see my friend Matt. Before I got that far though I took a few snaps on my journey north, including a couple at Kings Cross Station, while I waited for my train. I had this image in mind when I visited in December, but a large TV screen was blocking my way. This time the coast was clear so I laid my camera on the floor and finally captured the photo I’d hoped for!
A longish photo of some of my fellow travellers, milling around the concourse.
My walk to Haymarket Station in Edinburgh threw up a couple of pinhole opportunities - the Union Canal and the trams passing the station.
My pinhole photos from Glasgow all seem to feature bridges in one way or another, starting with the Bell’s Bridge.
Further along the Clyde we found what locals called the ‘Squinty Bridge’ as its curve crossed the road at an angle. I couldn’t find somewhere to capture this quite as I’d hoped as I needed somewhere to prop my camera, but I quite like the result anyway.
My final bridge of the day - the Tradeston Bridge, which features some wonderful lines.
Photos taken 29 March 2023
Whenever I’ve been out and about recently I’ve taken a pinhole camera with me to capture the scenes around me in slow motion. Last week I took and afternoon stroll in Saffron Walden. St Mary’s Church has always been a fertile ground for pinhole photos so was sure to visit and, sure enough, I found some new angles and views.
Elsewhere in the town this wonderful old building was calling to me.
Later in the week my work took me to Maidenhead and my B&B was close to the River Thames. ON Sunday morning I took a stroll along the river and found plenty of inspiration, including the dramatic Boulters Weir.
I found a vantage point close to the river level and the weir seemed even more powerful from there.
A ghostly self portrait by the Thames.
Photos taken 16 & 19 March 2023
