Beginning at home

Light, Time and Patience

This week, I began at home stepping into a familiar environment and removing that anxiety of worrying about if people are watching me. It was the day before class and as usual I had not taken any images as yet and I knew that I just had to shoot something. So, using two very different tools: a pinhole camera and my phone, because even though I was only planning on using My phone offers speed, control, and instant results. The pinhole, on the other hand, demands patience. It asks me to slow down, to think before I shoot, and to trust in light and time.

The process of creating with pinhole is slow and intentional—measuring exposure in minutes, not fractions of a second. There’s no screen to check, no quick fix. Just a box, a tiny hole, and the hope that something will form. It forces me to stay present, not just with the subject, but with the act of making the image itself.

The final image had a lot of contrast deep shadows and a slightly underexposed result. The light was shifting constantly in the soft evening hours, and over the course of the 15-minute exposure, it gradually faded. Unlike with digital, there’s no adjusting on the fly—once the exposure begins, you just have to wait and hope. The unpredictability of the process is both frustrating and beautiful. Even when the image isn't technically perfect, it carries a mood that feels grounded in the moment. The flaws become part of the story, shaped by time and light slipping away.