Taking a photograph with a pinhole camera is a spontaneous and serendipitous experience. The lack of viewfinder, the crafty quality of a homemade camera and the simplicity of the process all contribute to a sense of wonder at the resulting image.
The hallmarks of a pinhole image (a general fuzziness, infinite depth of field and often some crazy distortion) can infuse the photo with an emotional content not easily achievable with other methods. As old as photography itself, the pinhole process has a deep connection to the history of art and yet its potential to speak in a contemporary voice has been made evident through the works of artists like Bethany de Forest (pinhole.nl), Eric Renner (pinholeresource.com) and Dianne Bos.
As a practicing photo-based artist, my goal is to join this luminous history by working contemporarily using pinhole cameras. For a number of years, I have explored themes of language and metaphor in my work, specifically attempting to broaden definitions and understandings.
A series entitled “Divine Interventions” grew from a challenge to see the divine interactions that occur all around us (even in particularly unremarkable settings) rather than where we generally seek them during miraculous events. My work as an artist emerges out of a belief system that acknowledges a holiness in all things and a desire to see it more clearly.
Wenda Salomons is an Alberta-based professional visual artist working in photo-based media. She works primarily with pinhole cameras and produces small, black and white silver prints. She has lectured and led workshops on pinhole photography, as well as pursued the development of her own studio practice. Her prints are held in private and public collections across North America.