I first heard about pinhole cameras from a friend, who shared stories of making cameras with different types of cans when he was a kid. As living in the digital era, I was really curious about these homemade cameras and wanted to try making one myself.
Two years later, I got the chance to visit a small photography workshop by anh Ngọc at Noirfoto. The workshop was about making pinhole cameras using shoeboxes, then developing and processing photos in his darkroom. It was a really eye-opening experience. It reminded me of the basic concept of how light can capture images in photography books.
For me, the hardest part of using a pinhole camera is figuring out the right exposure time to let in enough light for a photo. I still remember, after many failed attempts, I carefully opened the pinhole on my shoebox for my last shot. Suddenly, I heard anh Ngọc’s voice coming from nowhere in the crowd, “Chi, that’s enough light!”. I quickly closed the box, knowing I had finally captured the right amount of light. And just like that… I got my best shot 🥲 I was amazed, anh Ngọc was like a living-timer!
