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PT Community Pinhole Photo Project - Summer 2023 Call for Participants


  • Raw Art Collective - Virtual Gallery (map)

Event Details: You are invited to participate in a community pinhole photo project. Remember making pinhole cameras when you were a kid? The magic of poking a hole in an oatmeal container, adding a piece of photographic paper, sealing it up, and leaving the camera outside for days, and coming back to find a photo?!

You do not need to be a photographer or have any experience with pinhole cameras to participate. No need for a darkroom.

It’s a jam! We love the inexpensive, minimalist, otherworldly, surprise and unexpected elements of pinhole photography. We encourage fun, happy accidents, imperfections, and collaborations!

There is no cost to participate in the community project and it’s open to all. We will take photos with our pinhole cameras (homemade, purchased, or provided by Raw Art Collective) between April 30 and August 30, 2023.

  • CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS: Seeking humans with a connection to PT to participate in a community pinhole photo project. Please complete the participant registration form below. Submit up to 10 images of your original pinhole photographs. We will select at least one image from each submitter to be included in the virtual Raw Art Collective gallery. No Fee. Open to All.

  • TYPES OF PINHOLE CAMERAS: You can make your own analog or digital pinhole camera (here is an example of an easy to make pinhole camera; or here), purchase one, share amongst friends, or use one of ours. If you’d like to use one of ours, please contact us to coordinate pick-up and see directions for use below.

  • DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF DIGITAL IMAGES: 8/30/23

  • HOW TO SUBMIT: Send up to 10 digital image(s) by email to therawartcollective@gmail.com or via direct message to @therawartcollective on Instagram by August 30, 2023. Please include the following information:

    • Your name & contact information

    • Photo location(s)

    • Digital image(s) of your pinhole camera(s)

    • Digital image(s) of your pinhole photo(s)

  • Exhibit: Digital images of the winning entry will be displayed in the virtual Raw Art Collective gallery.

  • DISCLAIMER AGREEMENT: Work is submitted at the risk of the person submitting entry and must be legally permissable. Raw Art Collective, its members, or representatives, will not assume any responsibility for the work. Your submission signifies your agreement with the terms and conditions stated, including granting permission to Raw Art Collective to reproduce submitted images for advertising and commercial purposes with photo credit. All proceeds go to support community art projects and events.

  • DIRECTIONS FOR USE OF OUR CAMERAS: We will provide “cameras” made from either altoid tins, film canisters, or cans to produce “solargraphs”, a type of long exposure pinhole photos.

    • The cameras will be pre-loaded with photographic paper. Find a place to set your camera for a 2-4 week exposure, “photo”, where it will be secure.

    • We include a tie to secure your camera to a post/other but you can use any clamps, rubber bands, tape, etc. Just be sure that you don’t cover the pinhole.

    • Once secured, remove the electrical tape that is covering the hole.

    • Depending on how sunny it has been, collect your camera sometime in the next month. Remove the photo paper from the camera and immediately take a digital photo of the paper, “negative”, with your cell phone or other camera. Feel free to invert and enhance your digital photo in any photo editing software or send to us as is.

    • The paper will continue to expose in light. If you’d like to keep your “negative”, put it in a light proof place.

    • You are welcome to keep your camera and re-load with photographic paper for additional exposures.

    • Pinhole photography is experimental and lots of things can happen in a long exposure (e.g. camera can move, water or light can get it, placement of camera, sun exposure) that create beautiful and unexpected images or no images at all.

  • CONTACT: therawartcollective@gmail.com