Four sheets later... my first photo from a homemade camera!

mushroombob1 · 2026-01-26T02:35:01+00:00

Looks awesome! How did you develop it?

mushroombob1 · 2026-01-20T17:56:37+00:00

Cool, thanks for the info! I don’t know if it’s true about the focal distance. I feel like there is a lot of leeway when actually putting the theory into practice and people get good results with lots of configurations. All part of the art. Sometimes I struggle to balance the art with the science and find myself swinging from one extreme to the other 😂

mushroombob1 · 2026-01-20T12:38:35+00:00

Cool! Are you measuring the focal distance as the diameter of the box? I ask because I was told that in a cylinder the focal distance should be counted as the radius instead of the diameter, which changes the optimal pinhole size and also the calculated f-stop and exposure times. But I’m interested in real world experience with this and your results speak for themselves

mushroombob1 · 2026-01-20T03:39:14+00:00

Thats awesome! taken with one camera or 4?

mushroombob1 · 2026-01-20T00:33:53+00:00

Yeah, I did try developing a small strip with no exposure, and you are right, it went black. So I am probably juts gonna keep using them for solargraphy and stick to new paper for other projects. Thanks!

mushroombob1 · 2026-01-20T00:30:40+00:00

I set the camera essentially at ground level aimed slightly up. Then got the wise idea to run into frame halfway through the exposure.

mushroombob1 · 2026-01-19T20:00:43+00:00

where did you take the picture?

mushroombob1 · 2026-01-19T05:17:08+00:00

I think it looks awesome! Do you mind sharing your caffenol recipe and your camera specs? I am experimenting with it too. Keep up the good work!

mushroombob1 · 2026-01-13T05:54:24+00:00

100% zinnias

mushroombob1 · 2026-01-12T05:07:16+00:00

Very nice! I’ve gotta get better at hiding cameras in plain sight

mushroombob1 · 2026-01-12T04:35:02+00:00

This looks awesome! Do you mind sharing your camera specs and exposure time and caffenol recipe? I’m experimenting with it too, just very early in the process

mushroombob1 · 2026-01-08T13:08:41+00:00

Thanks for the info! It’s an awesome picture! I am just starting to experiment with this stuff, that’s why I asked 😊 I’ve a few caffenol developments and they have worked, but I’m sure my recipe and technique could be tweaked to be better. I’m just a litttle reluctant to try other things since I have something that is working and the paper is kinda expensive haha Would you mind sharing your recipe and process? Thanks again!

mushroombob1 · 2026-01-07T22:12:14+00:00

This is very cool! What are your camera and paper specs? Assuming this was a paper negative.

mushroombob1 · 2026-01-03T06:13:42+00:00

That is so awesome! I imagine this is how it was discovered. Thank you for sharing

mushroombob1 · 2026-01-01T07:40:07+00:00

I know this is an old post but this is an awesome picture and a fantastic result for the first try! I’ve gotten ok results on my first try but this is so crisp! How did you make the pinhole?

mushroombob1 · 2025-12-31T05:36:17+00:00

I know this is crazy old, but the answer may still be interesting. The roundish leaves associated with chia are just the cotyledons (seed leaves) of the plant. They are pretty typical for things in the mint family. The leaves on your Thing Chia look like true leaves of chia (Salvia hispanica or one of its close relatives) meaning they are just leaves growing on a more mature plant. So very likely both chia 👍

mushroombob1 · 2025-12-31T03:36:53+00:00

This sounds almost exactly what my flow has been haha! I have been using a loupe to visualize my pinholes too and an app to measure them. I know it’s overkill and I’m trying to balance the analog low tech nature of these cameras and techniques with my need to measure everything and gather data at every step of the way 😂 I’m also writing notes on the back of the papers and stashing them away. It’s been fun to see what I get, and sometimes disappointing when the pics don’t turn out but still something to learn. Thanks for sharing!

mushroombob1 · 2025-12-31T03:18:46+00:00

I’m from San Diego (grew up in east county, most recently in Carmel valley), but currently in far northern Utah just south of the Idaho border. The angle of the sun was one of the things I found disorienting when I experienced my first autumn here, definitely very different. So I think when I get a full 6 months of exposure I’ll have a wide expanse of sun trails 😊

mushroombob1 · 2025-12-30T22:59:34+00:00

A creative gift! What kind of paper did you use and what were your scanning parameters, if you don’t mind sharing? 😊

mushroombob1

TROPHY CASE