Welcome to my photography blog! I'm a Sussex-based photographer who explores the art of image-making through Pinhole, film, and digital cameras. Join me on a journey through the captivating landscapes of Sussex and beyond. Alongside my photographic work, I'll share the inspirations that fuel my creativity. Let's embark on this visual adventure together, capturing the beauty of the world one frame at a time.
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Blurry Thrills: Pinhole Photography Adventures at Paultons Park
A couple of weekends ago, my family and I packed up for an adventure to Paultons Park, nestled in the scenic New Forest of Hampshire. But this wasn’t just any family outing—I decided to spice things up by bringing along my Mia 6x6 medium format pinhole camera. Why? Because who wouldn’t want to capture some quirky pinhole shots of a theme park? The idea was to snap some pinhole images around the park and even push the limits by taking the camera on a few rollercoasters.
Now, I knew from the start that trying to handhold a pinhole camera on a speeding coaster would likely result in a delightful mess of motion blur, but where’s the fun in playing it safe? With the camera loaded up with Fomapan 100 film (which I was rating at 400 to keep the exposure times between one and two seconds), I was ready to embrace the unpredictability and see what kind of magic—or madness—might come out on the other side.
First ride was a roller coaster, Flight of the Pterosaur
Pretty much what I expected! You can vaguely make out the chaotic scene, but as you can see, the bottom part of the image features an unexpected guest—my finger. Juggling the pinhole camera, operating the shutter, and filming for my YouTube video while hurtling down a rollercoaster was definitely trickier than I’d imagined!
Watch the video on YouTube
Next exposure was worse.
This is from Cobra, which really chuck's you around some corners pretty hard and this one I really struggled to hold onto the pinhole camera which is why my finger covers most of the frame
From what I remember at this point we were sideways being chucked around a downward spiral corkscrew, wasn't the best time to take a photo.
Looking up at Magma
A couple of image of Velociraptor with the coaster going up
This end of the park were a couple of spinning ride which always makes for some fun longe exposures
Boulder Dash
Sky swinger
The Victorian Carousel
From there we headed up to one of my favourite Buffalo Falls
a water raft ride
View from the top
For this shot, I improvised by using a magnetic chest mount—usually reserved for my GoPro—but this time, I strapped on the pinhole camera. With both hands needed to hang on tight, carrying the camera any other way just wasn’t an option. It definitely added an extra layer of challenge, but that’s all part of the fun!
A similar shot, but this time I went handheld since I was sitting much lower in the boat. This was taken on the park’s new mini log flume, Splash Lagoon, adding a bit of splashy excitement to the challenge of steadying a pinhole camera!
I got soaked.
Next up was my family's all-time favorite: the Storm Chaser. I'll be honest, it's not exactly my cup of tea. I can handle rollercoasters, but once they start moving in multiple directions at once, I'm out. This ride doesn't just zoom forward—it also spins the seats around, adding an extra layer of dizziness that I’m definitely not built for!
Up next was the Cyclonator. I've braved this one before (still not a huge fan), but there was absolutely no way I was attempting to bring the pinhole camera along for the ride. With an exposure time of around 1 to 2 seconds, I had to get the timing just right. As the Cyclonator reached the top and paused for about a second before plunging back down, I opened the shutter at just the right moment to avoid turning the entire shot into a blur—well, at least not too much!
The big white dot, I seem to be getting at the end of each roll of Fomapan recently, turns out they have a big hole in the backing paper, never had this before.
This was an accidental double exposure of the Cyclonator and Farmyard flyer
Coffee break with Cyclonator after a downpour
Heading over to a Peppa Pig World.
Thankfully all my lot have outgrown this, but while they were enjoying Storm Chaser over and over again I had a little wander around and this is where I ended up.
First up is Peppa's Big Balloon Ride
If you've ever been here. you'll know the music that is on repeat all day every day so I couldn't handle it for too long, a quick picture of Daddy pig's car and I was gone.
I also dropped my camera taking it off which is why this has a double exposure.
Heading down to The Old water Mill
One of the nice things about this park it has some quiet areas, which is great when you have young kids who need a nap or just to get away from the crazy park for 5 minutes and in this quiet area is an old watermill.
Whilst hanging around I also got this picture of a tree on a bridge over Al's Auto Academy
A quick trip on The Dinosaur Tour Co.
Driving through the Lost Kingdom on a Jurassic 4x4 expedition with my boys up front.
And a quick photo to finish up as it was Halloween there were pumpkins everywhere, so couldn't resist a quick snap of this pumpkin tower.
And also the last shot of the second roll film, which had the big white circle as well.
As the day came to an end, and the adrenaline rush slowly faded, I couldn’t help but feel a mix of exhaustion and satisfaction. Experimenting with the pinhole camera at a theme park was definitely an unpredictable challenge, but that’s what made it so fun. Sure, some shots ended up as abstract swirls and blurs, but others managed to capture a little of the magic and chaos of the day.
In the end, it wasn’t just about perfect photos—it was about embracing the adventure and finding joy in the imperfections. Whether I was holding on for dear life or catching my breath between rides, the pinhole camera added a quirky twist to our family day out. Sometimes, it’s the unexpected moments and the blurry memories that make the best stories. Until the next wild experiment!
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