Making a Room-sized Camera Obscura
Aims
By creating a camera obscura, you will find out about:
- The fundamentals of the optical systems used in cameras and projectors
- Some of the optical theory of image and shadow sharpness
- The early history of image-making and projection
- The performance potential of simple technologies
Additionally, the project can be an opportunity to develop teamworking as well as practical, craft skills working with basic materials.
Key Information
| Number of learners | Minimum 1, maximum 10 |
| Number of staff | 1 Teacher. The project can also be done by one or more people working independently, although it may involve working on ladders, so a risk assessment will be required for a single person doing the project. |
| ECTS Credits (if applicable) | Not applicable |
Learning process
| Lecture/seminar | Lecture, presentation, discussion (face-to-face or online) | |
| X | Making project | Making a model, mock-up, plan or design (physical or digital) |
| Performance project | Making a performance or demonstration (live or mediated) | |
| Records and Archives | Interviews, photographs and videos of artefacts, annotating archives, creating learning materials (physical or digital) | |
| X | Independent study | Reading, researching, analysing and evaluating learning materials (physical or digital) in groups or alone |
Type of learner
| X | Student of technical theatre |
| X | Student of theatre design, architecture |
| X | Student of theatre arts |
| X | Professional |
| X | Researcher |
| X | General public |
What You Will Need
Duration and schedule
Preparation time for the teacher:
1-2 hours to gather physical materials and learning materials. It is recommended to do a test of the planned method of creating the camera obscura, to ensure it works effectively.
Preparation time for the learners:
None.
The project can be done in half a day, but can be extended by including a performance element, or by further experimentation.
Room or type of space
A room with a window that can be blacked-out. The ideal room has a single window looking out onto a well-lit outside space, with a light-coloured wall opposite the window.
Equipment
Required:
Scissors, craft knife, cutting mat.
Optional:
Video or still photography camera with a tripod to record the results of the project.
Various lenses to experiment with, such as magnifying glasses, spectacle lenses or lenses from theatre spotlights.
Materials (consumables)
Materials to create a black-out in the room being used (black paper, cardboard, cloth, black plastic sheeting, and so on), adhesive tape, drawing pins. Use decorators’ masking tape if you have room décor that can be easily damaged.
Learning resources (books, websites)
The history and basic theory of the camera obscura is described on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camera_obscura
Video guide to making a camera obscura, by the George Eastman Museum: https://youtu.be/hsXo4gD7iWI
Process
Preparation
Ensure the room is suitable for the project – preferably, do a test. Gather the materials required.
The learning activity
Initial set-up:
Use the black paper, card, or black plastic sheeting to black out all the windows in the room. Choose one window that faces the outside scene that you want to create an image of, and leave a hole about 10cm square in the blackout at about head height. Use tape and pins to hold up the blackout materials, making sure you don’t damage the room décor!
Cut a small, round hole in a piece of card, with a diameter less than 1/100th the distance between the window and the opposite wall. So, if your room is 5m across, make the hole less than 5cm across. A smaller hole will create a sharper but less bright image – you may need to experiment to create the best effect.
Tape the card with the hole over the 10cm square hole you left in the window blackout. Turn off any inside lights in the room. The only light coming into the room now should be that coming through the small hole you created.
Wait for several minutes for your eyes to adjust to the dark. You should now be able to see the scene outside the window projected onto the opposite wall, upside down and reversed left-to-right.
Simple experiments:
- Try different sized holes; look at the effect on the brightness of the image, and its sharpness.
- Hold a large piece of white paper or card near to the hole; what happens to the image?
- Try holding different lenses over the hole; what effects do they create? If the image is completely out of focus, try holding up a large piece of white paper or card, and move it closer or further away from the hole. What happens to the image? Pay close attention to how the sharpness of the image changes with the distance between the hole and the screen.
More complex experiments (these will require additional time and equipment):
- Create a performance to be played outside the window, with the audience watching inside the camera obscura. What kind of experience does this create? How can you use this effect as part of your story-telling?
- Create a lighting installation outside the window, and view it from the camera obscura at night.
Assessment and feedback
The project gives opportunities to experiment and make your own discoveries, as well as learning directed by a teacher. Teachers can use questions to guide learners towards different aspects of the project, as well as testing their understanding.
Our Experience
Tips
The usual difficulty with making a camera obscura is that the image is not bright enough. Experiment with the size of the hole to find the best compromise between brightness and sharpness of the image. Ensure there are no other sources of light in the room and the blackout is good – even a small light leak can make it very hard to see the image.
Make sure you allow enough time for your eyes to adapt to the low light levels. Full adaption can take up to 30 minutes, and is slower and less complete for older people.
Additional information and resources
Photographs of a camera obscura created by Rose Bruford College students Aaron Bailey, Gabriel Bisbey and Elise Hodson:
A video time-lapse is also available: File:IO4 13 Camera Obscura Video 720p.mp4
Credits
| This learning method was made by: | Dr Nick Hunt |
| Institution: | Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance |
| Thanks to: | Rose Bruford College students Aaron Bailey, Gabriel Bisbey and Elise Hodson: |