The Pinhole Camera by Brian J. Krummel

Malin Fabbri takes a look at Brian J. Krummel’s new pinhole book The Pinhole Camera – A Practical How-To Book for Making Pinhole Cameras and Images.

Writer / Malin Fabbri

The Pinhole Camera is so much more than a pinhole book. Though the whole and simple process of pinholing is summed up on one of the first pages of the book, Brian Krummel manages to squeeze in just about every aspect of pinholing in this encyclopedia.

The book is filled with examples of cans, containers and objects that can be turned into pinhole cameras, and also intriguing examples of striking images that you can achieve with a simple can, a tiny hole and some patience.

Brian’s enthusiasm for the pinhole process shines through on the pages, as he spells out the many alternative ways of capturing an image. A pinhole camera being an alternative camera, there are also other alternative ways of pushing the techniques further. In a chapter of its own, Brian explains how to turn your print into a Cyanotype – one of my favorite processes, or if you prefer, a Van Dyke print.

With its nice modern graphics and clear layouts the author manages to sneak in all the technical aspects of pinholing, production, film planes, film, paper, multipinholes, split frames and developing without it getting “too heavy.” Where things have a tendency to get advanced, the path is split into a beginner’s track and and advanced version.

The book ends on a peaceful chapter of pinhole artists and their art. All in all a very inspiring book.

The 210 page book is perfect bound, 8″ x 10″, and in full color with over 300 photographs and illustrations.

About the Author

Brian J. Krummel, a photographer by formal training, completed a BA in Arts from Pennsylvania State University in 1996, focusing on photography as a creative discipline. Brian’s passion about photography has led him to continue his own photographic experimentations and explorations over the years with a variety of tools and techniques, which most recently included branching off into the interests of lo-fi, toy camera, and pinhole photography.