Photography LESSON 1: The Camera Obscura

This is the first part of many lessons in photography to come.
I've been studying photography since 2008 and I know I still personally, have plenty to learn.  I also know that had I been taught certain things in a different order, my photography knowledge would have been pieced together a lot easier and certainly quicker than it was!  So with that, I am going to start from where I wish someone had started with me.
I hope this helps you understand the foundations of photography & why things happen for a reason.

LESSON 1:

THE CAMERA OBSCURA

First things first.  Don't be intimidated by the weird word.  Let me explain.....

Camera is Latin for "room"

Obscura is Latin for "dark"

Photography is thought to have been invented (using that term loosely) around 1893, although the concept of it has been around much longer - This was, and still is, known as the Camera Obscura.

We all know photography as capturing a scene.  Making an image on paper of what we see in front of us.  A way of recording and capturing an event, people, places and things. 

Thus, photography is a method of creating images.  To create an image we need both light and darkness.  Without this, photography would be nonexistent.

So what is the Camera Obscura and what does it have to do with my digital SLR or camera on my phone?  Have a look at this diagram.....

An early sketch to show the technique - 1544

  

All of what we see is down to light and how it travels.  Vision is a rather detailed process to explain, and I'm no scientist, but I'll attempt to break it down and relate it to photography terms.

Take a look at your eye, look at the pupil in the center of it.  This is what lets light in.  Your pupil becomes bigger in the dark because it needs to let more light in. On a sunny day, your pupil will be smaller as you don't need as much light to see.  The same method is applied to the camera obscura to create an image.

The candle labeled A on this diagram is what you see in front of you.  Such as this screen as you read!  Image B is what is received to your retina at the back of your eyeball, and yes, it is upside down.  Your brain then converts the image to the correct way up.  

It is upside down because of the way light travels. 

When light travels, it travels in a straight line.  Therefore, when rays of light are reflected from a bright source and passed through a small hole, it cannot scatter.  It must cross in a straight line and it then becomes an upside down image.

So here you go, the Camera Obscura.....

Imagine a completely dark room, with no light leaking in.  Windows covered in black material, the bottom of doors sealed with tape.  A small hole can then be cut in the black material to let light flood into the dark room.  The scene outside will then appear, as if by magic, upside down, on the opposite wall.
Have a look at this wonderful giant, camera obscura image created in a room using nothing but natural light and a tiny hole.

An image created in a room, Central Park, NYC - By Abelardo Morell

It truly is simple to create with unbelievable results.

This is how we came about creating, natural, raw images.  Nothing used except light and darkness.

Another camera obscura image created by Abelardo Morell - The Eiffel Tower, Paris 1999

Here is the famous light bulb set-up of a camera obscura.  Created in 1991 by Morell to show how the diagrams we have seen can be recreated on a small scale.

Light Bulb, 1991

It really is that simple.

At great artist to check out is Abelardo Morell (who is responsible for most of these images)
 - Born in 1948, Havana, Cuba.  Studying art from 1977, Morell became a Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts in 1997.  His photography work is definitely not one to be missed if you are interested in seeing more of these fantastic images.

Abelardo Morell's Official Website

The Neighborhood - by Morell

I hope this little insight on how light works and travels has helped you understand the first part of how your images are created.
Portable camera obscuras were created and used by artists, who to capture their image, traced around the projection, off the wall and onto paper. 

A large camera obscura used to create portraits

An artist uses the method to trace his image onto paper

A diagram of the camera above - a mirror is used to project the image onto the working surface

It wasn't until the late 1800's did the idea of capturing these images quickly onto a surface in some sort of permanent fashion come about.  This was through the development of chemicals and their reactions to one another.

I'll talk more about chemicals, film and capturing an image on the next lesson.

Until then, keep an eye out for a step-by-step tutorial on how to turn a room into a camera obscura!
Check out a few of the guys from National Geographic giving it a try.....
National Geographic try out the Camera Obscura