Does a pin hole camera form an image or a shadow of an object?

A pinhole camera forms an image of an object, not just a shadow. It allows light from the object to pass through a small aperture (the pinhole) and project an inverted image onto a surface inside the camera. The clarity of the image depends on the size of the pinhole and the distance from the object to the image plane. Unlike a shadow, which lacks detail and color, the image produced retains some characteristics of the object.