My initial project proposal saw images of domestic spaces being made by myself and the participant using the same pinhole camera. The more testing I have done, the more I have come to realise that this is not a practical methodology. It would require me to spend a long time in the houses to get a number of images as to maintain sharp focus a small pinhole is required resulting in long exposure times. Hours, possibly 9 or 10.
This would mean I could not shoot my images of the domestic space in one day or an afternoon, and I would not want to spend multiple days in a space. Partly as this would inconvenience the participant, could feel a bit strange for them, and would mean that my experiences and images become far closer in atmosphere to the participants than originally intended.
I originally planned to use the same camera as the participant as I felt it was important that all the images be seen through the same box. However, I feel this is somewhat disingenuous. The box is for the participant to use, not me. The box becomes a part of their house and their interaction with it and control or guiding of it is a key part of their images. My images have a different purpose and intention. They are to see the space from an outsiders point of view. An outsider camera is a logical method to use.
To this end I have decided to use a system I used previously for similar images (a medium format camera with a Polaroid back). This system will use the same paper and development and so the images will have a similar aesthetic but will be far shorter in terms of exposure (6 seconds to a minute). This will allow me to shoot the images I require for my side of the project in an afternoon and leave the participant the box pinhole camera for their own shoots.
I believe the two camera systems being used are more appropriate for the users and the experiences each will have. An audience will, I feel, notice a difference in the images. Once I have them I can begin to plan how best to disseminate them and whether to integrate them or purposefully separate the two forms.
Comparing the two methods to historical photographic styles and systems allows us to explore the difference between them in greater depth.
The pinhole images produced may have more in common with Julia Margaret Cameron. While much of the photographic work of her era was intent on developing sharp instantaneous images, Cameron used soft focus as a way of trying to explore the spirituality of her subjects.
She had an “insistence on the idea of the thing rather than the servile tracing of its surface appearance”. (Jeffrey 2010, p.40) This comes through in her images. When she captures people’s portraits, the viewer gets a sensation of not only seeing that person’s face, but also something of their soul. This project aims to achieve something similar with domestic space, capturing it’s soul as well as the immediate physicality of it.
The pinhole images will attempt to be sharp through the use of a small pinhole, but there will inevitably be some blurring which is intentionally embraced rather than thought of as an error. The blurring may come from the pinhole itself, which I am creating by hand rather than with a laser cutter. This can cause slight bowing or inaccuracies at the edges of the hole, but the interesting thing is that each camera’s pinhole will be unique, and thus the distortions will also be unique. The length of exposure will also create blur, especially with exterior shots.
The pinhole distortions and the blur caused by long exposures are both intended to counter instantaneous photography and explore a more spiritual or emotional side of the subject. The length of time of exposures mirrors the length of time a person spend in their domestic space and any blurring or distortion also mirrors how we come to be so aware of our domestic space that we no longer view it as simply objects placed in a certain way, but as a spiritual domain.
The system I have decided to use instead of a pinhole camera will be sharper in focus but will also allow for risk and potential errors as calculating exposures it not quite as easy as with film. It is also harder in strong areas of contrast to get a balanced exposure due to the paper being used, so images may seem under or overexposed in areas. This is not bad, this is part of the creation process and the aesthetic being sought.
The two cameras being used will produce unique images and will not be used with an intention of producing sharp or perfect images but rather with an intention of capturing the feeling of a domestic space.
Jo Salomon CRJ 