Camera Obscura

Howdy ya'll, this here is my (incomplete) entry on camera obscuras. It's kind of dull and incomplete at the moment but I've run out of time to get this complete. My apologies.

Camera Obscura


I. Introduction

a. Why does a lens restrict the size and configuration of the camera obscura box much more than a pinhole?

With a lens, you have a definite field of view, as opposed to a pinhole, which as a field of view close to infinity. With a lens, however, the field of view is dependent on the angle of the lens, how large it is, what material it's made out of, etc. So if you have a camera obscura made with a lense, you will need to have your film x amount of inches away from the lens, the x being the distance where the image is most clearest. Therefor, you cannot have a camera that is too long or too shallow, unless you adjust for the lens. With a pinhole camera, it can be as long or shallow as you want it to be, since you will almost always get an image regardless.

b. What type of lens do you have and how does it work?

The lens provided for my camera obscura were actually part of a relatively weak magnifying glass. I used the larger of the two. To use it you first need to find that distance where the image is most sharp. You can do this in a dark room that has a bright view of the outside or use your imagination. I just sat on my bed, with a box infront of me. With the lens facing the opened window I brought it closer to the box until I had an inverted image. I then moved the lens until it was a sharp as I thought it could be and measured that distance. I think it measure around five inches, though I'm not entirely certain at this time. I then took that distance and made sure the viewing screen was at least close enough to that distance. I made my lens movable to make finding that point easier.

c.Give an overview of the process and its history.

The word Camera Obscura is latin for "a darkened vault or roof, and hence it came to denote a chamber, or box, or any other place made dark for the purpose of optical experiments" or so Thomas Dick tells us in The Complete Works of Thomas Dick, which I found using Google Books. (This is the URL http://books.google.com/books?id=_UmFeuySlZgC&pg=PA788&dq=camera+obscura&hl=en&ei=OWW3TdvqDcbdgQfhnZF8&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CEQQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=camera%20obscura&f=false. Have fun.) He tells us that the Camera Obscura is a dark room or chamber that has a small hole at one end which is open to the outside wall. Since light travels in a straight line they will pass through the hole perfectly, and display an image of the outside inside though it will be upside. This phenomenon describes perfectly what happens in our eyes, just so you know. The reason we don't see our world upside down as it appears with a camera obscura is that our brain rights the image.

And now for the history!


d. You should bring in information (quotes!) from primary sources and from the readings.

e. include images

none :(

II. LInks to relevant web pages, articles and videos
None at the moment. :(

a. Contemporary artists using this method, alternative photo, etc
There is a band called camera Obscura. Quite interesting. Haven't listened yet, but will in the near future.

III. Describe the process, recipes and materials

IV. Your experience

a. Discuss your experience using the process, note observations and comments, difficulties you had, things you would do differently, scan/photo your own results.
Making a camera obscura isn't all that hard to do. You take a box, make a hole at one end, and voila! Instant camera. If you're using a lens, however, you need to make the hole big enough for the lens and all.

I went kind of complicated on my in that I made my lens retractable. I also made a slot so that you could fit the film through the top, if you wanted to actually use film. Also, to ensure that the screen was most visible, I made viewing holes in the back. And then, since I couldn't stand the ugly color of it, I spray painted it copper.

. Results - How did things turn out? What would you change?

Things went rather well, I don't think I would change anything other than the fact that I wish I had written this blog earlier and that I had more time to actually finish it, my apologies professor.


V. Miscellaneous

Add a section of things you find interesting, this is up to you. Feel free to be creative, bring in contemporary artists, etc.


VI. Summary