terraPIN ACMEPinhole Camera This year's Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day (WPPD 2023) came at a perfect time for me. I've been on pause not only with pinhole photography but photography in general. I was just thinking about it all, about the purpose, about the end goal, about what's worth it and what's not. I deactivated the sales features on my website back in November 2022 and recently requested the deletion of my Etsy site. I have only done very little limited photography in about half a year.
When the WPPD 2023 weekend arrived, I was ready to grab a pinhole camera and head out into the wild. Ahead of time I knew I wanted to use my 3d-printed terraPIN ACME that only saw three rolls through it and I liked the results. I did not take any notes though and could not remember how I measured and calculated the f-stop. I knew it was not wider than f/144 so I decided to start there for my first roll, adjusting from there. I also knew I wanted to use up my Fuji Acros II 100 film that freshly expired last year.
Green Lake Canoes
terraPIN ACME medium format pinhole camera, Fuji Acros II black and white film, D-23 developer
terraPIN ACMEPinhole Camera The original Fuji Acros as well as the new Fuji Acros II land themselves very well to long exposure pinhole photography thanks to their almost non-existent reciprocity failure. As such, using it was a no brainer especially since I had some on hand. I have also been trying to slim down my film stash, especially if expired or on the verge of expiration.
Since I knew the ISO 100 film, f/144, and cloudy weather would result in long exposures I wanted to have some motion in my photographs. I chose water for my WPPD2023 theme and in the end managed to almost stick with it.
Down Smoke Creek
terraPIN ACME medium format pinhole camera, Fuji Acros II black and white film, D-23 developer
As you can see I selected a nearby Yates Park in Orchard Park, New York. In a small package it manages to feature two beautiful bodies of water: Green Lake, and Smoke Creek. I wanted to focus on the creek. I had photographed it a few times in the past but struggled to reconnect with that area after the town cleaned up the lake a few years ago, which involved deforesting a significant chunk of land around the dam.
Up Smoke Creek
terraPIN ACME medium format pinhole camera, Fuji Acros II black and white film, D-23 developer
This was my opportunity, and it went very well. I had a blast there with the pinhole camera despite having taken several photographs pretty much from the same spot just rotating around and selecting a different camera height. So many opportunities! I also already decided that I will be heading back soon with a lensed camera and color film. To find the charm of this location I only had to wonder about a little bit and find a new vantage point, the old one gone with the wind.
Against the Current
terraPIN ACME medium format pinhole camera, Fuji Acros II black and white film, D-23 developer
I really like how the bright glare off the water made the stream look like a flowing melted lead in the above photograph. That takes my mind back to the film, Fuji 100 Acros II. With Fuji's exit from film manufacturing, it is my understanding this successor to the original Acros 100 is made by Ilford based on a Fuji recipe. And it delivers! It's not going to become my all-around film though mostly due to its intense cupping. That makes it really difficult to scan in the flimsy film carriers of flatbed scanners. In fact, I suspect most of the edge blur in these photographs is not due to the pinhole camera used but rather due to the far from flat film during scanning. I like the results, though, and don't want to go through digitizing these with a digital camera. The 3d-printed film carrier for that method would keep the film perfectly flat. Maybe if I am bored on a rainy day, I will try that just for comparison's sake. Probably not.
Rocks of Smoke Creek
terraPIN ACME medium format pinhole camera, Fuji Acros II black and white film, D-23 developer
Kraken Dungeon
terraPIN ACME medium format pinhole camera, Fuji Acros II black and white film, D-23 developer
At one spot there is this monster of a structure sticking out of the creek bed. Maybe a storm sewer access point, maybe something else, it totally does not fit the otherwise natural and romantic feel of the place. I wanted to photograph this monster lair, this Kraken Dungeon, but forgot and left my photo perch. When I looked around to survey the location one final time for the day I spotted ti again and had to return. There's no water in the picture but it still fits the water theme, doesn't it?
Two Canoes
terraPIN ACME medium format pinhole camera, Fuji Acros II black and white film, D-23 developer
As you can see, I closed the first WPPD 2023 roll where I started. I was back at the canoes looking for additional, more close-up and abstract angles. I especially like the above Two Canoes.
One Canoe
terraPIN ACME medium format pinhole camera, Fuji Acros II black and white film, D-23 developer
Finally, One Canoe closes off today's blog post. 8 photographs from a roll of 12, not too bad. All 12 technically came out but I did not like them enough to share. If you like what a simple 3d-printed box with a tiny hole can do, come back soon, I will share my second roll from this year's WPPD. The theme of water will stay, the location will differ.
Enjoy The Beauty That Surrounds You! #etbtsy
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