Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day: A Global Celebration of Analog Art and Light

On April 25, 2026, NPR’s Scott Simon hosted a special segment celebrating Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day, featuring fine art photographer Nancy Breslin as a guest expert. The discussion highlighted the enduring appeal of this analog photographic technique in an era dominated by digital imaging.

Breslin explained that pinhole photography relies on a simple principle: a light-tight container with a tiny aperture — ideally the size of a sewing needle or about half a millimeter — and photographic paper or film inside. When light passes through the pinhole, it creates an image, though exposure times can vary significantly, ranging from several minutes to several hours depending on available light.

The resulting images are surreal and a little spooky.

Nancy Breslin

Breslin elaborated on the unique visual characteristics of pinhole images, noting how long exposures affect moving versus stationary subjects. In her work, still objects like a water glass remain sharp and in focus, while moving subjects — such as herself and her dining companions — appear blurred and ghostlike.

It becomes very ghostlike. Is that not the way our memories work? You know, our memories aren’t tight. It’s more like the impression.

Nancy Breslin

This philosophical connection between the technique and human memory informs much of Breslin’s artistic approach. Her ongoing series, titled “Squaremeals: A Pinhole Diary of Eating Out,” exemplifies this concept. For the project, she brings her pinhole camera to meals with friends and captures a single image during each dining experience.

To demonstrate the accessibility of the medium, Breslin brought two distinct pinhole cameras into the NPR studio: one crafted from teak and brass, and another made from a repurposed old cookie tin. She walked listeners through the basic steps of constructing the cookie tin camera, emphasizing that the process begins with ensuring the container is completely light-tight before creating the pinhole aperture and inserting photographic material.

Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day is observed annually on the last Sunday in April, which fell on April 26, 2026. The event encourages participants worldwide to create and share pinhole photographs, with submissions accepted through June 30 each year to accommodate those using alternative processes or relying on mail-order materials.

Through her conversation with Simon, Breslin underscored the continued relevance of analog processes in contemporary art, positioning pinhole photography not as a nostalgic novelty but as a meaningful medium for exploring perception, time, and memory. The segment served as both an introduction to the technique for newcomers and a reflection on its artistic potential for those already familiar with alternative photographic practices.