Camera obscura

The camera obscura – meaning ‘Camera’ from Latin, locked chamber and ‘Obscura’ meaning Dark, is exactly that, a darkened chamber. A small hole allowing bright light wa…

Artist Aaron Chapman shows you the joy in making a camera obscura from the comfort of your bedroom. He covers materials needed and the steps to take.

An illustrated study of Vermeer and the camera obscura.

An illustrated study of Vermeer and the camera obscura.

Abelardo Morell. Camera Obscura Image of Houses Across the Street in our Living Room. 1991. Gelatin silver print. 17 7/8 × 22 1/2" (45.4 × 57.1 cm). Gift of the artist. 415.1992. © 2023 Abelardo Morell. Photography

Camera obscura, ancestor of the photographic camera. The Latin name means ‘dark chamber,’ and the earliest versions, dating to antiquity, consisted of small darkened rooms with light admitted through a single tiny hole. The result was that an inverted image of the outside scene was cast on the opposite wall.

Nancy Breslin tests a camera obscura lens from the Finnish company called Bonfoton and turns an entire room into a camera obscura.