Camera obscura is certainly the most rudimentary form of photography to me. The pictures that I take with my 6x12 pinhole panorama camera are almost the same as what the human eye perceives. An angle of approximately 125 degrees; comparable to the 12mm lens, but then without optical distortion. The images are sharp in the center and diffuser at the edges. Light enters through the 0.2mm hole and falls as mirror-image, projected on top of photo paper or film. Just a hole in a box, that’s all it is.

(left) 1988 - First handmade pinhole camera, 4x5 inch carton box - (middle) Zero 45 - Teak wood, 4x5 inch camera 25 mm, 50 mm and 75 mm - (right) The Robert Rigby Pinhole camera, 5 x 4 inch

Aristotle reported on this already back in the fifth century before Christ. Light that falls through a small hole in thick foliage, gives a perfect image of the sun on the ground. In the field of painting art, the camera makes a demonstrable entry in the second half of the 15th century. In 2001, David Hockney argued in ‘Secret Knowledge’* that painters such as Caravaggio, used camera obscura even back in 1450. Before the photosensitive plate was discovered (around 1800), the camera obscura was an attraction on the fair. Photography was an essential part of my art training in Nijmegen and Arnhem. I was 17 when I discovered the magic of analogue photography. It started with making photograms, followed by black-white pictures and darkroom techniques. During the training, I attended several seminars in studios and at various locations in the Netherlands, Denmark and France. Only later, in 1986, when I, as a visual artist, started to get involved in the work of Johannes Vermeer, the Dutch master from the 17th century, I discovered that he most likely used a camera obscura for the accomplishment of his work.**

This was the moment when I started to build cameras myself. The first carton boxes would sometimes stand three days exposed to the light. I didn’t know how it worked, I had no information – there was no internet back then – so I could only go step by step, learning from trial and error. My first images were taken directly on photo paper. On the basis of these photos, I could calculate a full 4x5 inch camera format.

Only since 2009, I am in possession of professional teak wood cameras. A Zero 612B for panoramic images, a 4x5 inch Robert Rigby, and since recently a Zero 45. At the moment, I mostly do landscape photography. Dutch masters from the 17th century, such as Van Ruysdael and Van Goyen, inspire me to explore the (historical) landscape using this analog technique.

Vincent van Gogh - Pont de Langlois - 2010, Arles

Only a few pinhole shots are really usable. There are approximately two 120 roll films required for one picture. To make a good pinhole picture, you need a good location, good light and a lot of patience. In all respects, they are time-consuming shots. By using points on the camera box, and with the help of a loose mask, and some experience, I am able to determine quite accurately what to catch on the picture.

When making pinhole pictures, I use a classic image construction. The image is preferably assembled from a clear foreground, a middle plan and a background. The camera obscura does not give any lens sharpness, but due to its ultra-small diaphragm, it has an infinite depth of field. By making use of this classic image construction, this quality is in particular made use of. For more information contact me at j.roij@ziggo.nl

SLOWIMAGES.COM - JOS VAN ROIJ

Four seasons in Meinerswijk, Arnhem - 2011

OBSCURA 121 BLICKE -
PFLÜGER68 - BERLIN, 2014

"OBSCURA - 121 BLIKCE" - Vernissage, Pflüger68, Berlin - January 31, 2014