How do we see the world around us? If we start looking at the shapes created around us, we can start to see the letters of the alphabet emerge. This project will stretch your creative outlook on the "normal" world around you. Some letters are easier than others to see—I's and X's and T's are very common, but where can you see curved letters like C and S and M, or even O? For this project you are going to create an alphabet grid and spell out your name using the natural world as your alphabet.

Assignment:
You must first photograph the entire alphabet, A-Z, in nature. The natural elements can be man-made but cannot be actual letters written on a sign or wall. You will be creating an alphabet grid like the one pictured above using Adobe Photoshop, you will then create a poster of your name using the letters of your alphabet. 

You will be passing in the following to the class google drive folder:
- 1 alphabet grid
- 1 name poster using your alphabet letters

Steps:
• Think outside of the norm and consider helping nature to create some letters—for example, S is very hard to find in nature but your shoelace is a perfect tool to make an s-shape. 
• Shadows can help to enhance a letterform, think of how this either adds to or takes away from the overall composition
• If your name has two of the same letter you may want to consider photographing different options to make your name poster more interesting
• I'd like to see natural elements but you can use man-made objects (i.e. bike wheels, lamp posts, brick buildings, etc.)

Assignment:

This week we will be making real working cameras out of a can of oatmeal, a piece of aluminum with a tiny hole poked into it, some paint, and a whole lot of tape. I promise these are real working cameras and they give a very nostalgic, almost dreamlike quality to the images. 

Steps:

1. Obtain an oatmeal canister (or something like it)
2. Paint interior of the canister and lid black (paint the outside if it is white or thin cardboard)
3. If your box has a clear plastic lid, cover exterior with black tape, paint interior black or cut a circle of black construction paper to place on the inside & glue in with elmer’s glue.
4. Carefully cut out a small square (about 1 in x 1 in) on one side of the oats box. It should be middle of the container.
5. I have precut aluminum squares from pie tins for you
6. Poke a pinhole in the aluminum (we will do this together)
7. Tape the aluminum on the inside of the box with black masking tape
8. Let it all dry! (tip: use the hairdryer for quick dry)
9. In the darkroom, "load" camera with a precut piece of 4x5" RC paper by making a tape loop on the backside of the paper (non shiny side) and pressing it against the interior of your canister
10. Place the paper inside the pinhole camera so it faces opposite the pinhole "lens." and put the cover on tight
11. Carefully holding the pinhole with your finger, go outside and find a great shot, set up your pinhole camera on a solid surface, and take your finger off of the pinhole.
12. Expose for about 10 seconds depending on the amount of light (see time chart below)
13. Come back into the darkroom and put the paper through the darkroom chemistry. Now you have a NEGATIVE.
14. Once dry, make a POSITIVE image by placing the negative face down on top of a new piece of b&w paper (we will do this process together).
15.  Mount your prints side by side
    1. Prints must be cut evenly and straight
    2. Prints must be centered (use a ruler)

Start timing your exposures using this chart:

• Bright Sun with Distinct Shadows
  8-12 Seconds
• Cloudy and Bright, No Shadows
  15 Seconds
• Heavy Overcast, Open Shade, rainy
  25 Seconds
• Indoors- Bright
  5-15 Minutes
• Indoors- Average light
  30 minutes to 1 Hour

Resources: https://www.pinhole.cz/en/pinholecameras/whatis.html

Justin Quinnell is a great pinhole photographer who has been working solely with pinhole photography for the last 22 years—he's even made a pinhole camera out of his mouth!