PHOTO: M HODGSONI read somewhere that pinhole cameras "suck in time". If that's the case, neutral density filters boost suction. Placed in front of an aperture they allow for longer exposures in bright conditions, allowing the passage of time to make its mark more extensively on a single image.
There's two planes of movement here: the clouds being propelled by a strong east wind towards the camera, and the London Eye on its barely perceptible, incremental rotation. A minute and a half of movement is sucked into one image and imposed on the immovable skyline of the South Bank.
Long exposure is nothing new in photography, but usually it's very difficult to achieve with a pinhole camera in daylight. These filters are great because they open up a whole range of possibilities for subjects and settings.
Technical details:
The photograph shown here was taken as usual with my Pinhole Sharan Wide 35 but with two Cokin ND 8x "P" type filters and an exposure of minute and a half.
The second shot - actually my favourite - was given the same exposure but occurred in slighter brighter conditions.
For the third photo I used four filters and doubled the exposure time to three minutes. The result was a vivid, blood red complexion. This could be used to interesting effect with an appropriate subject and the right amount of light.
