The Sun Project

A global science/art project to capture Solargraphs, tracking the path of the Sun worldwide via pinhole photography. Join us, build your own, and we'll publish them here later this year! If you'd like to know more we are on Twitter @SunProject2012 or email at thesunproject2012 gmail.com

[thesunproject]

Circular Trails

Saw this photo on the Telegraph's photo of the day.  

Artist Brandon Goldpaint has some amazing shots capturing the motion of the night sky.  I'd particularly recommend his long exposure videos of scenic stars.

[ranesang-blog]

Pinhegg, created by Francesco Capponi, is a pinhole camera crafted from an eggshell. The “camera” is only good for one shot and must be sacrificed in order to reveal the image.

Learn how to build your own Pinhegg here.

[thesunproject]

So if waiting till the next solstice has you jumping from foot to foot in anticipation, why not try and make one of these awesome pinhole cameras from an egg.  Although the camera/picture can be done in what sounds like an afternoon start to image, you may want to buy an extra carton of eggs to practice on.  He, if you wanna make an awesome image, you gotta break some eggs, right? 

[thesunproject]

Ault Park Sunrise

Check out this awesome site from Ault Park Sunrise documenting sunrises in Cincinnati.  Some awesome shots, and hopefully it inspires you to get out and ride your bike, enjoy the sun, and discover some new spots for future cameras.

-Aaron

[thesunproject]

solstice check-in

Hey everyone,  sorry we've been out of the loop the past fall, but, you know, this is a long process, and we thought constant updates of pictures of our hidden camera's would be....boring.  

So, the time has come, we've proven the Mayan's wrong, and made it last week to the winter solstice.  As this is the time of the year the sun is lowest in the sky, if you've had your cameras out since June, you should have some beautiful images of the sun traveling across the sky from its highest to lowest.  If you haven't already, get out there and find your cameras, and let's develop the film.  Joe and I spent a lovely afternoon riding around to all our spots to collect our cameras stopping at local watering holes, and here is a highlight of our adventures.

Wait, why is sad Joe so sad?  And what is he pointing to?  As you may be starting to guess, all 6 of the cameras we tirelessly constructed, found awesome vantage points for, and hid, were gone.  The above location was our favorite spot as it had a lovely south view of downtown Austin and the river, but was hidden in a vacant lot that was already scattered with trash/debris.  Perfect hiding place right?  No.  What we didn't know, is that said lot was also planned for some new, fancy thing adding to the gentrification of East Austin.  Sigh.  After nursing our sorrows with some dreamscicle flavored margaritas and artisnal hot dogs, we returned home, defeated.  We have no pictures.

This last point makes us even more eager to see if any of you were able to collect your cameras and what amazing things you may have captured.  We'll be back in a few days with a video detailing how to develop these photos with help of a desktop scanner.  As you start to get your images, please share them with us!  We have a dream of putting together a map of camera locations and times to emphasize the different changes in the sun at different latitudes.  

Finally, as some inspiration to go get your cameras, and as a 2nd place prize because we can't offer you an photos of our own, here is some solargraphy porn.

via bertwootton

via dustblast

Also, if like myself, you're interested in pinhole photography in a more general form, wheehamx has some lovely photos to inspire you.  Here is a taste.

You don't take a photograph, you make it.  -Ansel Adams

[thesunproject]

Joe and I rode around tonight and put up some cameras.  Even though it was a 105 degrees when we started, and we were tired from a days work, it was worth it.  I hope you all are enjoying finding beautiful spots like these to hide your cameras for the next 6 months.  We can't wait to see what you've created!

- Aaron

[thesunproject]

Hey everyone.  I hope that everyone got their cameras in place in time to start on the solstice yesterday.  If not, don't worry, we'll still be putting up cameras throughout the weekend as well.  To help inspire you (and us) here is some more sun-themed music to pump you up.

If you have any questions, or comments regarding building the cameras, finding a spot, or really anything, feel free to get ahold of us either through the comments section here on Tumblr or email or Twitter.  

[thesunproject]

Mounting Your Solargraph Camera - Some Tips

The solstice is upon us! Well, as we publish this video anyway. With the Sun at its peak in the Northern Hemisphere (minimum in the Southern), now is the prime time start your solargraph.

New to the Sun Project and need details on what it's all about? Look here. 

Want to build your own solargraph camera and join in? Even if you miss the solstice, you can start any time, don't worry! Check here for our how-to video and build your own.

We want to get cameras on every continent, so get going! Anyone have a friend in Antarctica?

-Joe

[thesunproject]

Need some inspiration for your solargraph project? Check out Distant Light by Sang Jun Yoo as a mental soundtrack to build your cameras!

[thesunproject]

The June Solstice Approacheth!

There's no mystical occurrences happening on June 20 (at 23:09 UTC, to be exact), but this is a key point in the Earth's path around the Sun. It's also the best day to mount your solargraphs to get solstice-to-solstice images. Don't worry if you don't get them up by Wednesday, you'll still get great pictures no matter what.

What is the June Solstice?

Due to the axial tilt of the Earth, the June solstice marks the point in Earth's orbit when the Sun reaches its highest maximum point in the sky in the Northern Hemisphere, and the opposite in the Southern Hemisphere. The sun will appear straight overhead along the Tropic of Cancer, but nowhere else (despite some commonly held beliefs). Ancient cultures gave the day much spiritual significance, but today it's just the beginning of summer (or winter, if you live in the Southern Hemisphere).

Good luck getting those cameras up this week! Keep spreading the word so we can get every continent represented, and here's our how-to video on building a pinhole cam.

[thesunproject]

We're About To Crack 100 Participants Here On Tumblr!

Thanks for continuing to share in our awesome project. If you missed our first video ("How To Build A Pinhole Solargraphy Camera"), you can see it here.

Who's building their cameras this weekend?

Remember, we want to have representation from around the world. Let's see which continents are represented so far/ Where are you guys from?

[thesunproject]

How To Build Your Sun Project Pinhole Camera:

Aaron, Jon and I put together this how-to video on building a pinhole solargraphy camera out of aluminum cans. We used beer cans because we like beer. You can use anything, really. It doesn't have to be a can, just rigid and water and light-proof. (If you choose a thicker container or one that you can't poke a needle through, cut out a larger hole and then tape in some aluminum foil to make your pinhole). Here's some alternate directions on building a camera using an old film canister.

We certainly aren't Martin Scorcese or anything, but hopefully this vidoeo will give you all you need to know to build your own camera. The solstice is only a week away, so grab some friends and get started! We want to get representation from around the world!

If you need help finding non-glossy black & white photo paper, call a local art or photo store. Here's one online retailer and some different brands. It's pretty cheap. You'll want to make several cameras in case some don't work or they get lost (it happens).

Thanks for reblogging and sharing this project with your friends. Let us know if you have any questions.

-Joe

[thesunproject]

WOW!

Want to know what to expect from The Sun Project? This is what you could see in the finished product!

Follow us here, please tell your friends and help us make this a true global project!

(via APOD)

[thesunproject]

Welcome to The Sun Project!

Hi!

We're very excited to announce what we think could be one of the largest and most interesting global citizen science/art projects ever. We hope you'll join us.

We'll have more details in the coming days, but here's a brief introduction:

What is it?

We want to assemble the largest gallery of Solargraphs ever attempted. These are super-long-exposure pictures, usually months at a time, made with a pinhole camera onto photosensitive paper. The finished product is simply beautiful, a mix of sun tracks and ghostly surroundings:

Okay, so what's "The Sun Project"?

We know that from summer to winter, the path of the Sun moves from high to low in the sky as we approach the colder months. In the Northern Hemisphere, the Sun reaches its highest point at the summer solstice (June 21) and its lowest at the winter solstice (Dec. 21). We want YOU to capture the path of the Sun from where you live! It doesn't matter if you live in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere. 

Building a pinhole solar camera is easy and cheap, and we'll show you the whole process. You can do it in one evening. We'll be doing our own here in Austin, TX and can't wait to share with you, too!

Sounds fun! What do I do?

First, make sure you follow or bookmark us. We're also on Twitter @SunProject2012. Next, get ready to build your solargraphy pinhole camera! We will have a video up in the next day or so showing you how it's done, step-by-step (it's super-simple). Recruit a team of friends, make it a class project, or put it together on your own. But keep in mind you'll mount your cameras on June 21!

Finally, help us spread the word. We really want to see results from around the world. Not only will you learn more about astronomy and how the dynamics of the Sun affect the seasons, you'll be part of a beautiful art project!

(photo above via medevac71 on Flickr)