How to Capture the Sun in a Beer Can
wired.com/wiredscience/2011/01/solargraphy/
wired.comPosted Jan 3, 2011, 7:51 PM UTC
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wired.comOh big time. Really taken with that. Any details on the paper used?
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A more detailed Solargraphs How To guide.
Semi matte black and white photographic paper. Glossy paper can be used, but you'll get stronger phantom tracks (like in the Wired photo). And setup multiple cans at once, because some of them will get destroyed, stolen or ruined.
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Also, set up different hole sizes in various cans, create HDR.
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Can this paper shoot in RAW? I heard you can make HDRs out of a single exposure...
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I'm just getting into it. Photographic paper is available at any camera/photography shop. Just make sure it's photographic paper for developing from film/negative, not photographic paper for printing off digital photos. The first is photo-sensitive paper, the second is, well, just glossy/matte printer paper for photos. But somehow, both use the same name, and the latter is probably more common.
I use Ilford MGIV multigrade. It's probably the most common. You can get bigger sheets and cut them to desired size, I think it costs less unit area that way. But for 25 sheets of 5x7", it's $11.
Plus zero developing costs, you just throw it in a scanner once you're done exposing, and you're done (after you take the negative and flip I think). Don't worry about the scanner light exposing the paper, the paper is so slow, ISO is less than 10.
If you don't think you're capable of making your own pinhole camera, solargraphy.com will send you one for free if you send back your results.
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Sounds like a fun project. I would also like to know more about the paper.
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Any photographic enlarging paper will do, but some seem to give better results than others. The colors come from the process and are not due to using color paper over black and white.
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fucking brilliant! and so simple!
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This is very interesting.
You should also look into photographer Michael Weseley, he does some really long exposures (some are more than two years), usually near building sites. A lot of them show the path the sun makes during the exposure time.
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This is pretty cool; I would really like to try it. Is rain not an issue with the paper?
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That's why it is placed in a can :) .
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Cans are usually pretty good at holding liquids, especially if said can has a hole in the top.
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Cans are pretty good at keeping our liquids too, especially if the opened top is on the bottem when the can is used upside-down. The pinhole where light comes through is at the side, and you could easily place it under some kind of cover to further decrease the chance that water spoils your film.
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Did anyone else think Tron when they saw the thumbnail?
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This was posted in the astronomy and Space subreddit. But i thought it would interest some photographers as well.