Pinholes and a moment of pure luck / by Jana Uyeda

Zero Image 6x9/ Kodak TMax 100/ Exposure time: 23 sec/ Rodinal (1-25) 5:30

This was one of those lucky moments during the first week of owning my Zero Image camera. I wasn't quite sure how to frame an image yet and was awkwardly setting it up on the seat next to me on the West Seattle Water Taxi. I'd been looking through various pinhole images and researching artist websites with a vague working concept in mind, including experimentation with movement.

Just as I was setting up my camera, the gentleman with the plaid shirt walked over and stood against the corner of the railing. I had just stabilized the camera and quickly took this shot. The water taxi was rocking during this 23 second exposure, and as we headed out, the camera also captured the movement of the boat slowly pulling away from the dock.

What makes pinhole so interesting to me is that you can capture motion and stillness in one frame. Since the camera was on the floor of the water taxi, the railings and passengers on board remained relatively in focus.

The combination of timing and pure luck in this frame encouraged me to continue experimenting with pinholes, long exposure and capturing motion in my modern city.