Make a juicebox pinhole camera!

A step by step video for making a pinhole camera from a juice box.

 

A pinhole camera may be created out of nearly any light tight container: oatmeal, juice, and shoe boxes; matchbook boxes, Altoid tins, or just plain ‘ole cardboard.
The videos to the left provide demonstrations for making a camera
from a juice box.

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MATERIALS

- Empty juice box
- Scissors
- Utility knife (optional)
- Black electrical tape
- Scotch tape
- Needle or pin
- Key, an old house or locker key
- Fine sand paper or emery board
- Paper towel
- Soda can or aluminum pie tin
- Card board
- 1 new film roll
- 1 empty fill can with piece of film sticking out
- Black permanent marker
- Black spray paint (optional)

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DIRECTIONS: juicebox camera

photo from Indestructables.com

The camera:
1.  To make frame for the film draw a rectangle slightly smaller than the width of the film on the juice box.
2.  Cut out rectangle using a utility knife or scissors.
3.  Cut out a small square on opposite side of the juice box for the pin hole.
4.  Cut a small square of aluminum.
5.  Place the aluminum on a piece of card board and poke a hole in the aluminum with the needle.
6.  Sand the opposite side of the aluminum to get rid of any rough edges.  The hole should be smooth on both sides.
7.  Use black tape to attach the aluminum square to the juice box.  The aluminum should cover the smaller rectangle cut out.  Don’t forget to make sure the pinhole is visible and that all of the edges of the aluminum are covered with black tape (no light should get through).

The film:
1.  Use black marker to write “A” or “New” on the new can of film.  Write “B” or empty on the empty can.
2.  Cut off the skinnier piece of the new film (this is called the leader).
3.  Use scotch tape to attach the fresh film to the piece of film sticking out of the empty film can.
4.  Lay film across the large square cut out on the juice box (the frame).

Back of camera:
1.  Cut a piece of cardboard as long as the width of the juice box and a little wider than the width of the film.
2.  Wrap the cardboard with electrical tape (or color with black marker).
3.  Tape the black cardboard square to the juice box.  Be sure to completely cover top and bottom of the cardboard (remember: no light should get in).
4.  Tape across the film and the cardboard to secure the film cans in place (do not let tape touch the film).
Check over camera to make sure there are no places for light to get in.

Lens cap:
Use a small piece of tape to cover the pin hole until ready to photograph.

Taking a photo:
1.  Set the camera on a stable surface.
2.  Use a lump of clay, tape or rubber bands to hold the camera still.
3.  Lift the tape to allow light through the pinhole.

Exposures: bright sunny days need 1-4 seconds of exposure, cloudy days require 4-16 seconds.  Indoor photo may require several minutes or more.  Experiment to see what works best (I visualize data collection!).

After each photo wind the film with the key five turns.
Once the film is finished, take it to a lab for processing.

Printing:
Prints may be obtained from a photo lab or printed by students with dark room access.  Negatives may also be scanned using a digital scanner and uploaded into a computer for digital manipulation.

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The options for constructing pinhole cameras are limitless...

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Oatmeal Container

Pringles Can

Cardboard Tube

Matchbox

Cardboard

Paper templates

Legos

Altoid tin can

Soda can

Coffee can

Shoe box

Tideboxes, suitcases & a van! -Jo Babcock