When I went digital, I had a whole pile of film in the fridge that just sat there for a long time and eventually expired. If you (or your parents) have been into photography for a while, you’re probably in the same situation. But as long as you don’t expect perfection every time, even expired film can be used, especially for different creative projects using “alternative” cameras. The fact that it’s expired may even add an interesting twist to your photos.

April 26 is Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day, so I thought we’d talk about pinhole cameras in this article.

Many of you probably made pinhole cameras in a class at some point – out of a box, a can (I used a coffee can), etc. And they work fine, but getting the film in and out in total darkness can really be a pain, and the shooting is of course total guesswork. If you’d rather load a roll of 35mm or 120 film while being able to see what you’re doing, check out these cameras:

Pinhole Blender Pinhole Blender makes cameras from what looks like cookie and tea tins with knobs on top (for turning the film). They accept 35mm, 120 and 4×5 film (the 4×5 has to be loaded in the dark though), and are really very affordable, ranging in price from $20 to $80. Best of all, they come with instructions and exposure suggestions. You can obviously get as creative as you want with that, but it’s nice to have a starting point at least.

Holga Pinhole The medium format (i.e. uses 120 film) Holga Pinhole Camera is another inexpensive option ($60, which includes 4 rolls of film). It looks like a regular camera, but instead of a lens, it has a tiny pinhole with an aperture of f/192. You can use any 120 film you want – color, slide, b&w – and there is only one shutter speed: B (which means that the shutter stays open as long as you press the button). The suggested time is anywhere from 2 seconds to 30 minutes, so you’ll have to experiment with that. (There is an optional cable release available, which I think is a very worthwhile investment). You can advance the film as much or as little as you want in between each exposure, so if you want to try double exposures, just don’t advance it at all before taking your next shot, or if you are creating a panoramic shot, advance just a little bit, and the photos will blend together into one long image.

The Hexomniscope If you get hooked on pinhole photography and want to give something truly unique a try, check out the pinhole camera from Pinhole Resource. The Hexomniscope is a round, medium format (120 film) camera with 6 pinholes (f/180) and 6 shutters around its body, so if you choose to expose through all of them, you get 6 overlapping 60 degree images. It comes with a CD with instructions, and costs $1,590.

Digital Pinhole If you have a digital SLR, there is a really easy way to turn it into a pinhole camera: get an extra body cap (around $3), drill a small hole in it, and use it as your “lens”.

Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day This annual event takes place on the last Sunday of April and was started to encourage photographers all over the world to leave technology behind for a day and go out (or stay in) and take pinhole photos. Once you’ve got some shots you’re happy with, upload them to the official WPPD website for review. This isn’t a competition, and here are no prizes, but the best shots from they day, as selected by the “Coordinating Team”, are displayed online. There are tons of happenings surrounding this event both before and on April 26: workshops, exhibits, lectures and more, so if you need inspiration or want to share the day with like-minded photographers, check out the listings on the Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day website.