Photography Tutorial: How to Make a Pinhole Camera at Home

Learn to make your own pinhole camera at home with Fotolateras

Nowadays, almost everyone can take photos. Even if you don't have your own digital or analog camera, your cellphone should.

But if you want to go that bit further and you're a fan of a more artisanal approach to your photography, we've got another option for you.

Fotolateras share how to make a pinhole camera with simple materials: a metal box, black paint, black adhesive tape, aluminum adhesive tape, and a drill.

Are you ready to step into the world of analog photography?

1. Paint the inside of your box

The first thing to do is paint the inside of our metal box matte black. We will seal the camera with tape so not to stain the outside.

2. Drill a hole

Once dry, we can make our first hole. Then we prepare a 2.4cm piece of aluminum foil, fold it in half, and stick it inside the box, just on top of the hole we made.

When it's in place, we'll use a 0.4mm needle to pierce the aluminum foil. Size is important here as it dictates the sharpness of the image and the exposure time the camera will need.

3. Seal the camera

We'll use two types of adhesive tape for the seal: two pieces of black tape and one piece of aluminum. We'll stick them together by putting the aluminum piece between the two black ones. With this, we'll close the box and seal the lid so no light enters our camera.

4. Protect the pinhole

Now, all we need is a shutter to cover the pinhole to make sure no light enters. We'll make the shutter with black and aluminum tape again: cut a piece of black tape and then place a piece of aluminum tape in the area that will touch the pinhole directly, so, when you place the pieces over the pinhole, the tape's adhesive doesn't dirty it.

And now you have a totally handmade camera! All that's left is to take photos and develop them.

If you liked this tutorial, remember you can learn to take and develop unique images on Fotolateras' online course Pinhole Photography Creating your Own Camera.

You may be interested in:

- Black and White Photography: Digital Editing and Retouching, a course by Cristian Maturana Ortiz
- Creation of Cinemagraphs, a course by Fernando Montiel Klint
- Analog Development in Black and White, a course by Carlos Rodriguez Garrido