Pinhole Photography: Sir David Brewster

Sir David Brewster

Sir David Brewster was a Scottish physic, mathematician, astronomer, inventor, writer, historian of science and university principle. Born 11 December 1781 and passed away 10 February 1868. He was educated at University of Edinburgh where he studied double refraction by compression and discovered photo elastic effect. Sir David Brewster was the first pinhole photographer when he made his first pinhole in the 1850's. His first pinhole photograph was of a field where he experimented how a pinhole worked and from then created many photographs using the pinhole camera.

The pinhole is a lens less camera in a tight-light box with a very fine round hole in one end and film or photographic paper in the other. Light passes through the hole; where the image is formed onto the film or photographic paper.

The image-forming ability of a tiny hole is thought to have been known thousands of years ago. Pinhole cameras have infinite depth of field, everything from the closest object to the most distant object is in the same focus. Objects at a far distance will be less sharp due to particles in the atmosphere. The pinhole camera will reproduce what we see through our eyes. When using pinhole cameras f-stops, exact pinhole diameter, viewfinders and light meters are not necessary. Pinhole cameras allows you to concentrate on the freedom of personal expression.

Analyse of his work

What does it look like?

Here is an example of Sir David Brewster's pinhole photography. It looks like he has taken a photo of a field in the winter season, I say this because the trees are bare and it does look cold. There's no flowers growing or leaves on the trees- looks like its a cold, frosty morning. The reason I feel the image is taken in the winter season is the black and white filter gives the audience a cold, gloomy imagination of it being cold.       

How was it made?
This image was made using a pinhole camera, Sir David Brewster would have used either film or photographic paper in an tight-light box with a very fine round hole where the light is exposed through onto the film/photographic paper. He would of then used a chemical called developer where the image is developed on the photographic paper/film. 

How does it make you feel?

His image makes me feel cold and gloomy, this is because in the image you can see that the trees are bare and the sky looks very dull, the image has not been taken in the summer. The image also creates the audience to think there is a cold breeze in the air as the sky is all dark and cloudy. It also makes me feel spooky because of the black and white filter has created a horror like image.  

What is its purpose?
The purpose of this image is to show the circle of life. So in this image you can clearly see it is winter because the trees are losing their leaves. The circle of life is showing the end of autumn and the start of winter. The black and white filter also gives the image the effect of a gloomy winter showing the purpose of winter is gloomy and dull.