World Pinhole Photography Day falls on the last Sunday in April annually and this year it is celebrated on April 27. This day aims to explore the art of pinhole photography by either choosing it as a hobby or profession. Experts share different techniques to help beginners learn more about this unique and ancient type of photography. World Pinhole Photography Day is created to promote the essence of pinhole photography. People are encouraged to engage in pinhole photography and take some amazing pictures.
The history of how World Pinhole Photography Day started is unclear, but most sources claim that it started as far back as April 2001. However, the history of pinhole photography is way more elaborate and goes back centuries.
The first-ever description of pinhole photography dates back to 1856 in a book called “The Stereoscopes” by Scottish inventor David Brewster, but the principle of the pinhole has been known for ages. In the 4th century, Aristotle mentioned that light shining through an opening between the leaves of a tree gives a projection of the sun on the ground. In the 14th century, different scientists began to use this technique to study solar eclipses and wavelengths of light. The use of the pinhole in art by Leonardo Da Vinci took place in the 15th century when he explained how one can trace an image from a transparent screen. Scientists started to suffer from blindness when they looked directly at the sun through their pinhole telescopes. In order to prevent eye damage, they started using a camera obscura in order to study the projected image of the sun.
Finally, in 1839, the official invention of photography in the form of the daguerreotype took place and the most famous pinhole picture was taken in 1890 by George Davison.
