Solarcan – The “All-In-One” Solargraphy Film Camera Solarcan

The Solarcan is a fascinating product that sits at a unique junction between photography, astronomy and art. Each Solarcan is a self-contained and pre-loaded solargraphy camera which means it can be used to take long-exposure photographs of the sun.

And by long exposure, we mean looooooong exposure!

Weeks if not months, as each day brings a new sun trail to layer onto the contained photography paper. Check out the sample images for examples of what the community has already created, and find out how easy they are to use with the instructions and video below!  

What is a Solarcan?

How do I use my Solarcan?

Experimentation and creativity are highly encouraged. However for consistent results we would recommend the following process:

1. Buy your Solarcan from this very product page 🙂 Or if you want to get a bulk discount and experiment with several exposures then grab the 5-pack!
2. Find a suitable location facing the Sun with a good view of the sky and horizon
3. If any doubt, seek permission from local authorities/land-owners for the installation (remember this is a silver metallic can that will be in place for several weeks!)
4. Using the supplied cable ties, secure your Solarcan firmly to an appropriate sturdy fence/pole/pipe
5. When you’re ready, carefully remove the black label covering the pinhole and let the magic begin
6. Place the black label on the end of your Solarcan for safe keeping and mark a date in your calendar for retrieval
7. Remember where you put it (!) and check in on your camera once in a while
8. When ready to recover your Solarcan, head back and cover the pinhole using the black tab you saved to end the exposure and stop any unwanted light passing through
9. Snip the cable ties to release your Solarcan from it’s mooring and take everything back home with you
10. Open your Solarcan in subdued light and marvel at your image!

FAQs

Specification

About the brand

Solarcan is the brainchild of Sam Cornwell: a photography, artist, astronomer and now camera genius! The Solarcan perfectly combines his love for the night sky with his passion for analogue processes and film photography. Initially supported by a successful Kickstarter in 2017, Sam has recently produced the 5,000th unit (that we will be gifting as part of a joint giveaway!) which shows that the Solarcan has already been accepted into the heart of the photography community.

We spent some time with him in preparation for our launch of the Solarcan – as well as discussing his journey so far – and you can read the resulting interview here.

Where we ship

When you buy your camera and film from us we can ship it across the UK, Europe, USA, New Zealand, Australia and Canada (more countries planned soon!) So buy Solarcan today and dive back into the fun of solar film photography!