“Bicycle Repair,” pinhole camera self-portrait.
From the series, “Hands: Recollection of Dad,” 1996.
… The process, which included the obligatory Quaker Oatmeal can, was no less complicated than digital imaging, just easier for me to grasp.
I placed a custom-machined brass pinhole up front and epoxied a custom tripod mount to the bottom. For instant gratification I would shoot Polaroid, and for quality I wanted 4x5. Modifying the lid to take Type 55 without a 545 back complicated things. So I rigged the film plane with guides and a film clip at the bottom to allow me pull the dark slide, and side flaps that fold in and prevent negative buckling when reinserting the slide.
Plus the usual gobs of black velvet flocking and camera tape.
In the end, the image created with my pinhole camera is just a two-dimensional representation of reality, same as what the digital camera outputs. But getting there, well… that’s where the real fun was.
See below for the real Dick Feagler.
