Photographer Mary Belanger Teaches Pinhole Camera Techniques
May 13th, 2022
La Pietra's Art Department was proud to welcome back guest artist Mary Belanger! The well-known photographer is a pinhole camera expert who has volunteered her time teaching the history, techniques, and darkroom processes of pinhole cameras to La Pietra students for many years.
Belanger spent four days with Ms. Morgan Kelly's Middle School Art students. During the first class, Belanger helped students prepare pinhole cameras and introduced them to the darkroom and the process of developing photographs. Over the next two class periods, she worked with the students to take photos in both afternoon and morning light, allowing them to experience how varying natrual light would affect their pinhole photographs.
Mary Belanger critiques a newly developed photo
While accompanying them out on campus as they selected their subjects for photos, and afterward inside the darkroom, Belanger helped students identify objects and scenery that might make for an interesting pinhole photograph and then properly go through the process of developing their photos.
During her final class period, Belanger selected a photo for each student that she said best demonstrated their knowledge of the pinhole photography techniques they had leared over the past few days. She then taught the class how to mat their photo and asked them to write a story to accompany it. Students spent the rest of class writing their short story and then reading each aloud to share with eachother.
7th-grader Louisa R. and her final matted pinhole photograph.
A big mahalo to Mary Belanger for visiting our Middle School Art students and taking the time to teach them the art of pinhole photography! With today's cell phones and digital devices, the process opened students' eyes to a less immediate form of photography that requires much more thought than simply pressing a button.
La Pietra's Art Department has also welcomed a number of other exciting guest artists to its classrooms, including kapa artist Dalani Tanahy, photographer Ric Noyle, multimedia artist Tina Cintron, and silversmith Kaori Vaughn.
