This Potter Creates Working Cameras Out of Clay

Aug 21, 2017

Michael Zhang

Steve Irvine is a Canadian potter who has had a lifelong interest in photography. Some years ago, Irvine decided to combine his two passions by creating ceramic cameras. Each beautiful and unique creation is fully functional as a pinhole camera.

The cameras “have no lens, light meter, viewfinder, or automatic shutter, and yet they can produce gallery quality images,” Irvine writes. “I use black and white photo paper in them for the negatives. The negatives are either 4 x 5 inches, or 5 x 8 inches.”

Here are some of Irvine’s ceramic cameras, with each one followed by a sample photo shot using it:

“Made of stoneware, and fired to cone 10 with a bronzy glaze on the outside, and a matte black glaze on the inside. Copper tubing, brass fittings, and 24K gold leaf were added, plus some parts from an antique anesthetic machine, and the foot valve of a water well.”

“Made of stoneware, and fired to cone 10 (roughly 1,300 deg. C) with a copper blue glaze on the outside, and a matte black glaze on the inside. Aluminum leaf, and 24K gold leaf were added after the camera came out of the kiln.”

“Made of stoneware, fired to cone 10, with a bronzy glaze on the outside, plus a post firing addition of 24K gold leaf, and found objects.”

“This is another ceramic box camera which uses a 4 x 5 inch negative. It has a combination of sprayed glazes on the outside.”

“Made of stoneware, fired to cone 10, with a bronzy glaze on the outside, plus a post firing addition of 24K gold leaf.”

“Made of stoneware, fired to cone 10, with a post firing addition of steel leaves.”

“Made of stoneware, and fired to cone 10 with a matte copper glaze on the outside.”

“Mmade of stoneware, fired to cone 10, with copper glazes on the outside. The same black glaze has been used on the inside as has been used on the feet and knobs. A thin sheet of copper metal has been used for the pinhole disk.”

You can find more of Irvine’s ceramic camera creations http://www.steveirvine.com/ceramic_cameras.htmlon his website. He also has a page on his ceramic camera pinhole photos and one on how to make a ceramic camera.

If you’re interested in purchasing one of Irvine’s ceramic cameras, the pieces are available for sale through the Jonathon Bancroft-Snell Gallery in London, Ontario.

Image credits: Photographs by Steve Irvine and used with permission