An OXO box has the great privilege of being called my very first camera. Although the packaging has since changed and possibly even the dimensions, to this day, I don't initially see it as the famous household stock cube....I see a camera !
The pinhole was made with a fine needle in the centre of a postage stamp sized piece of aluminium foil. This was then taped over a larger, crudely made hole in the front of the box. The 'shutter' consisted of layered black PVC tape, constructed so as not to adhere to the delicate pinhole, leaving a loose tab for ease of opening and closing.
Impatient and yearning for better quality, a few months later I invested heavily in a.......spaghetti tin !
I recall spending considerable time modifying and making the box light tight. "Why an OXO box ?" I was young, had little money and all materials purchased were outdated stock from my local supplier. The small area of the end of the box meant I could conserve materials and reduce the amount of chemistry required for processing !
Exposures were made on singleweight fibre based paper wedged into the back of the box, which, when processed, gave a paper negative from which to make contact prints.
The images you see here are over 30 years old !