Welcome to Issue#1 of Without Lenses
Devoted to covering the art and craft of lensless photography, I have started Without Lenses to feature photographers and contributors who want to push the limits of lensless work, share new and alternative ideas, teach others about new camera making techniques and to expose the work of unknown as well as active lensless photographers.
This is a robust and active community and WL hopes to tap into it both for contributions and readership. Without Lenses is not intended to replace wonderful forums of discussion like f295 and the pinhole discussion email list but to enhance these venues with more formal editorial perspectives.
With the demise of Pinhole Journal at the end of 2006, there has been a hole in editorial coverage of lensless photography. A piece here or there in the traditional photography media but nothing dedicated to this aspect of photography. And because of my background and experience, I have decided to start this as an online journal rather than in a print form. The journal plans to feature work done with pinhole, zoneplate, slits and other lensless methods.
I have found, through the forums and the photographers I have spoken to in getting this off the ground, a community of passionate folks who are eager to share their work as well as provide insight and feedback to those just starting out or experimenting with this approach to photography.
The first issue coincides with Worldwide Pinhole Day 2007 and the f295 Symposium, held in Pittsburgh April 27-29, 2007. I spoke with two of the featured speakers, Joseph Babcock and Craig Barber, both active photographers as well as to Tom Persinger, who planned the symposium and runs the forum site f295. I hope that spending a little bit of time getting inside the heads of these very different photographers and seeing some of their work inspires you to go out and create great work.
And if you do, let us know! I look forward to exploring the community with you and hope you enjoy the first issue.
Erin K Malone, Editor
April 29, 2007