For Christmas I was given a new ready-made pinhole camera. This one is bright red, takes film, and is a 612 format. I have been experimenting with its panoramic aesthetic going out on the tops and photographing the reservoirs, old stone buildings, and walls, in the snow. They have a strange air of stillness which suits the snow.
Photo by Charlie Meecham
The pinhole camera was made by Philippe Leclerc, of Lerouge, in his Caen atelier. Leclerc’s website says that it is made for all those photographers who want a more playful and creative approach to photography. I would add that it creates a sociability not often found with digital cameras.
Passersby often engage me in long conversations when I am out with the pinhole and they mention its seasonal colour, of course. Yet most are amazed that a photograph can be made with a simple box and a small lensless hole even though they know about the technology. I show examples of prints and it is their material beauty that is striking. The image below is a view of Pecket Well from the frozen tracks above Wadsworth.
