Pameran FX

Meneruskan hasil pertemuan teman - teman di sekretariat KLJI maka Diberitahukan kepada teman - teman KLJI yang ingin menyumbangkan karyanya untuk Pameran di FX Sudirman diharapkan untuk melakukan registrasi setiap pengiriman karyanya dengan perincian sebagai berikut :

* Untuk karya yang dikirim lewat email ke kljindonesia@yahoo.com dan dicetak oleh panitia pameran maka dikenakan biaya registrasi sebesar Rp. 50.000,- /karya atau foto ( sudah termasuk ongkos cetak dan frame )

* Untuk karya yang sudah dicetak dan frame sendiri dikirim langsung ke KLJI Jakarta Jl. Pariaman No.11 Pasar Rumput Jakarta Selatan dengan biaya registrasi sebesar Rp. 30.000,- /karya atau foto.

- untuk biaya registrasi bisa dibayar langsung di sekretariat KLJI Jl. Pariaman No.11 Pasar Rumput Jakarta Selatan
atau lewat transfer ke rek BCA cabang Sudirman a/n CV. RANA BAHTERA SEJAHTERA no.rek. 0353089568

- Bukti transfer dikirim ke alamat email : kljindonesia@yahoo.com

biaya registrasi ini untuk memperlancar kegiatan pameran dikarenakan waktu yang mendesak dan tidak cukup waktu untuk mengajukan proposal kepada sponsor, dan mungkin di pameran nanti juga bila ada karya teman - teman yang menarik pengunjung untuk membelinya maka panitia akan memfasilitasi untuk mengajukan penawaran. semoga dengan pameran ini KLJI bisa terus berkibar dan menyebarkan virusnya …

Terima kasih atas segala perhatian dan partisipasinya.. BRAVO KLJI!!!

Admin KLJ

PINHOLE DAY

26 APRIL 2009
HARI KAMERA LUBANG JARUM

Mari kita sambut “Pinhole day” atau “Hari Kamera Lubang Jarum” se-dunia yang jatuh pada hari Minggu, 26 April 2009, dengan cara mem”bom” galeri online Kamera Lubang Jarum Dunia, dengan karya anak Indonesia dari segala pelosok negeri….

MENGAPA BEGITU?
Karena hingga hari ini keberadaan pemain “Pinhole Camera” atau “KLJ” atau “Kamera Lubang Jarum” di Indonesia belum diakui dunia, atau memang mereka tidak tahu bahwa sejak 2002, pada saat “KLJI” atau “Komunitas Lubang Jarum Indonesia” mulai menyebarkannya, Kamera Lubang Jarum sudah meng-Indonesia. Sejarah penyebaran pun jadi berbeda dengan negara lain. Di Indonesia, Kamera Lubang Jarum tidak berasal dari “sekolahan”, tapi dimulai dari gerakan “indie” yang pada akhirnya berhasil dijadikan mata pelajaran formal di lembaga2 pendidikan fotografi, klub-klub fotografi, mata pelajaran ekstra kulikuler di sekolah menengah pertama dan atas, hingga mampu melahirkan sarjana-sarjana Kamera Lubang Jarum. Kamera Lubang Jarum pun menjadi semacam gerakan sosial. Gerakan “melek ilmu” yang ditujukan bagi anak-anak, termasuk anak jalanan dan yatim piatu.

Semua ini bisa terjadi hanya karena kerja keras dan semangat gerilya yang tak kunjung padam dari pecinta Kamera Lubang Jarum di seluruh Indonesia. Maka, mungkin kini saatnya kita bisa unjuk diri, bahwa dalam hal kualitas bahkan kuantitas, kreativitas anak Indonesia patut diacungi jempol.

MENGAPA KAMERA LUBANG JARUM?
Di belahan dunia sana, panitia Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day (WPPD) mengajak para pecinta kamera lubang jarum sedunia merayakannya :

Untuk merangsang pengalaman kolektif, berbagi visi, dan membantu menyebarkan keindahan yang luar biasa dari proses sejarah fotografi, maka di hari yang unik ini, setiap orang diseluruh dunia dihimbau meluangkan waktu untuk berpartisipasi melakukan hal yang sederhana, yaitu membuat foto dengan Kamera Lubang Jarum. Hari Kamera Lubang Jarum yang mulai dirayakan tahun 2001 ini, memang dimaksudkan untuk mempromosikan seni fotografi Kamera Lubang Jarum, karena di jaman yang serba digital ini hanya dengan menggunakan kamera yang sangat sederhanalah pengalaman pribadi yang unik dan luar biasa bisa terjadi. Pengalaman membuat foto pun menjadi lebih khusus karena kamera di buat oleh tangan sendiri. Anda bisa menjadi lebih kreatif.

Sayang Indonesia belum terdaftar dalam rangkaian workshop dan pameran yang mereka gelar…..

LALU APA YANG HARUS DILAKUKAN?

1. Sebelum 26 April 2009; Siapkan perlengkapan dengan segera.

Jika Anda telah mempunyai kamera lubang jarum:

• Tes kamera anda dan pastikan berfungsi
• Cari dan beli film, kertas, atau bahan peka cahaya lainnya

Jika Anda tidak mempunyai kamera lubang jarum:

• Buat sebuah Kamera Lubang Jarum jenis apapun
• Lakukan percobaan memotret agar menjadi terbiasa dengan waktu eksposur kamera Anda
• Proses film, kertas, atau bahan yang peka cahaya lainnya dan ulangi sampai Anda merasa nyaman dengan kamera & prosedurnya.

Pelajari visi kamera lubang jarum Anda dan mulai memikirkan apa yang akan Anda buat untuk Perayaan Hari Kamera Lubang Jarum nanti. Kunjungi situs-situs Kamera Lubang Jarum atau Pinhole Camera untuk mengembangkan selera yang khas dari fotografi purba ini, selanjutnya coba lakukan kembali pemotretan untuk mengetahui karakteristik yang khusus hingga medapatkan hasil yang luarbiasa.

2. 26 April 2009, adalah hari untuk bersenang-senang. Keluar dan ambilah gambar. Bisa sendiri atau berkelompok. Lihatlah dunia melalui Kamera Lubang Jarum. Jika cuaca kurang baik, Anda dapat mengambil gambar di dalam ruangan.
Sesungguhnya, di rumah banyak ruang untuk di jelajahi melalui “mata ajaib” Kamera Lubang Jarum.

3. Setelah 26 April 2009; Proses foto anda. Ingat! Ini bukan kontes foto. Tidak ada foto yang bagus atau buruk. Setiap hasil foto kamera lubang jarum adalah unik. Pilih foto yang anda suka dan kirimkanlah selembar kebahagiaan yang anda dapat melalui website Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day (WPPD).

4. Foto yang dikirim pada situs www.pinholeday.org harus dalam format JPEG dan harus memiliki ekstensi file “jpg”. Besar foto tidak lebih dari 500 pixels, dengan ukuran file dibatasi hingga 50,000 byte (50k).

Dengan catatan: kompresi diperbolehkan, karena kebanyakan dari gambar mempunyai utilitas yang memungkinkan anda bisa mengurangi ukuran file dan dimensi dengan cara kompresi. Atau ada beberapa situs web, seperti NetMechanic, yang menawarkan layanan gratis untuk mengurangi ukuran gambar tanpa kehilangan kualitas.

5. Untuk lebih memperkuat citra tentang kekuatan peta Kamera Lubang Jarum di Indonesia, setelah mencantumkan nama mohon mencantumkan juga nama Komunitas Lubang Jarum Indonesia (KLJI) dan nama kota seperti : Jakarta, Bandung, Jogja, Malang, dan seterusnya pada form pendaftaran.

PERATURAN PARTISIPASI PENGIRIMAN KARYA

1. Hari Perayaan Kamera Lubang Jarum se dunia bukan event komersil, terbuka untuk semua orang dimana pun di seluruh dunia. Partisipasi pada perayaan ini benar – benar gratis; tidak ada biaya yang diajukan dan tidak ada biaya untuk pameran di website.
2. Setiap partisipan harus mengirimkan satu foto dan mengisi formulir. Foto harus dalam bentuk foto digital dengan format JPEG.
3. Foto yang dikirimkan harus sudah diambil pada hari perayaan kamera lubang jarum se dunia (26 April 2009). Submissions (scan foto dan formulir) harus sudah diterima di www.pinholeday.org antara 01:00 GMT pada 26 April 2009 dan 24:00 GMT berikutnya pada 31 Mei.
4. Foto yang dikirimkan harus dibuat dengan perangkat foto tanpa lensa: lubang jarum, beberapa lubang jarum , zona piring, belah, dan lain sebagainya, baik buatan sendiri atau kamera buatan pabrik.
5. Foto yang dikirimkan bisa menggunakan berbagai material fotografi; film, kertas, cairan emulsi, B & W, warna, dan berbagai proses fotografi termasuk proses digital.
6. Foto yang dikirimkan bisa berbagai macam subjek tetapi harus menghormati kesusilaan umum dan hak asasi manusia (tidak ada unsur pornografi)
7. Foto yang dikirimkan harus dengan seijin orang yang mengambil foto, taat pada hukum internasional. Pengirim harus mempunyai jaminan bahwa pemotret telah mendapatkan ijin untuk memotret dan mempublikasikan foto jika itu menyangkut foto yang mengambil objek model atau pemilik dari objek yang diambil.
8. Semua foto yan terkirim diterima oleh tim yang akan mempublikasikan pada situs resmi (www.pinholeday.org) beserta semua informasi yang dikirimkan. Koordinator tim memiliki ijin untuk menggunakan foto yang diajukan untuk mempromosikan pada event Perayaan Hari Lubang jarum se dunia termasuk fotografernya.
9. Fotografer mempunyai copyright nya dan hak cipta foto yang dikirimkan. Fotografer tidak mempunyai tuntutan kompensasi apapun jika fotonya digunakan pihak WPPD sebagaimana ditetapkan pada peraturan no.8. Dan pihak Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day tidak bertanggung jawab jika ada cetak ulang yang tidak sah atas foto – foto yang dilakukan oleh pihak ketiga.
10. Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day bukanlah penjurian event. Anggota dari tim koordinasi memiliki kewenangan untuk menafsirkan dan menerapkan semua aturan yang diperlukan dan akan menggunakan kebijakan dan keputusannya dalam memutuskan foto mana yang akan digunakan pada pameran. Keputusannya bersifal final.
11. Mengakomodasi keadaan yang tidak terduga; seperti keputusan penyelenggara sebuah event yang bersifat final.
12. Pertanyaan dan dukungan langsung diajukan pada tim WPPD
    Cara Kirim

Cara mengirim foto anda pada WPPD pameran on-line:

1. Baca persyaratan untuk scan pada halaman “Bagaimana untuk men-scan”.
2. Lalu, gunakan formulir pengiriman on-line untuk meng-upload foto.

Jika anda tidak bisa men-scan foto anda, anda bisa menghubungi support@pinholeday.org dan meminta bantuan. Beberapa relawan tersedia untuk membantu anda, tetapi tim koordinasi WPPD tidak bertanggung jawab atas kerusakan atau kecelakan akibat dari upaya dari relawan.

(Bahan tulisan berdasarkan: SITUS Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day)

Jakarta, 14 April 2009 I Ray Bachtiar Dradjat I Komunitas Lubang Jarum Indonesia

Tags: calotype, daguerreotype, hari kamera lubang jarum sedunia, image, images, obscura, photographic, photography, photos, pihnole, Pinhole Camera, pinhole day

Malam ini, KLJ di Acara Gaya Hidup, TPI, jam 24.00

Komunitas Lubang Jarum diliput oleh Stasiun TV TPI di acara Gaya Hidup. Rencananya akan ditayangkan malam ini, Selasa, 20 Januari 2009, pukul 24.00 WIB.

Di acara ini berisi liputan dari kegiatan Komunitas Mahasiswa Pecinta Fotografi, UNJ, dalam kiprahnya menggunakan Kamera Lubang Jarum.

Kamera Lubang Jarum Terbesar di Indonesia dan Workshop

Komunitas Lubang Jarum Indonesia bekerjasama dengan KMPF UNJ akan mengadakan workshop dalam acara 28 tahun KMPF UNJ.pada tanggal 18 Januari 2009, di Museum Bank Mandiri*.
dateng ya…disana akan di pamerkan Kamera Lubang Jarum terbesar di Indonesia dan teman- teman bisa masuk ke dalam kamera tersebut untuk melihat proses terbentuknya gambar.
untuk ikutan workshop/ cari tau info selengkapnya hub ke:
ami (08568596700)/ e-mail:ami_ah26@yahoo.com

*dalam konfirmasi

History of the Camera

by: Chris Haslego

The camera and photography are an important part of the communication history of the world. The history of the camera is indelibly linked to the understanding and development of optics. Optics is the study of physical properties of light in terms of generation and transmission and the use of lenses and mirrors to understand these properties. It is an important branch of physics. The basic principles of optics were known as early as the 4th century BC and Greek philosophers are credited with the development of this knowledge. 16th Century German scientist Johannes Kepler known for his study of astronomy and optics is often referred to as the founder of modern optics. He used the simple pinhole camera (invented many centuries before his time and known to Aristotle as early as 322 BC) to understand how pictures can be formed.

Early cameras of the 16th and 17th century were able to project images onto paper or glass but the study of capturing, processing and printing the images took many more years. Up until the 17th century, scientists believed that light was composed basically of the ‘white’ that is perceived by the human eye. It took the research done by famous physicist Isaac Newton to discover that light is actually composed of a spectrum of colors. While he made a big contribution to the study of optics (that is at the core of camera advances) with this discovery, Newton did not actually have anything to do with camera development per se.

The early camera that first became a phenomenon was a little more than a pinhole camera and can be traced back to 1558. It was called the Camera Obscura. The Camera Obscura was seen as a drawing tool for a clearer and realistic portrayal of objects. It was in the early 19th century that an invention named the Camera Lucida was introduced by Cambridge scientist William Hyde Wollaston that consisted of an optical device that could help an artist view a distant scene or person or object on a paper surface that he or she was using to draw. In other words the artist gets to view a superimposed image of a subject on paper and this image could be effectively used to attempt to draw, trace or paint it. Both the Camera Obscura and the Camera Lucida provided an image that was temporary, which could not be lastingly captured on to paper for later reference.

Studies however continued well into the 1800’s on how to actually capture the image onto material. It was during this time, around 1822 that French researcher Joseph Nicephore Niepce, created the first photograph by using paper that was coated with a chemical. The image would not stay permanently on the paper and would disappear after a short while. Even so, despite the short-lived nature of the image, the concept of photography was born with this experiment and paved the way for further study and development in this field.

Capturing images to retain them longer and permanently became the next big quest for researchers. Another Frenchman Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre partnered with Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in 1829, to develop the process of creating permanent photographs. Joseph Niépce died in 1833 but Daguerre continued with the work and succeeded in 1837 after many long years of experimentation. The process of capturing photographic images that would not fade away, introduced by Daguerre came to be known as the ‘daguerreotype’.

The word ‘photography’ was coined by scientist Sir John F.W. Herschel in 1839 and it is actually is derived from two Greek words ‘photos’ meaning light and ‘graphein’ meaning draw.

A slightly more advanced version of the daguerreotype called the Calotype process that makes multiple copies possible using the negative and positive method became available very soon after. In fact, it was during the 1840’s that the use of photographic images in advertisements first started and cameras made their mark on the power of visual communication. It was not much later, in the 1850’s that photographers first started experimenting with underwater photography of seascapes.

Up until 1850, the process of capturing images was cumbersome requiring upto half an hour of light exposure. The discovery made in 1851 by Frederick Scott Archer was a blessing since the new method termed the Collodion process called for just 2-3 seconds of light exposure to capture an image.

Prior to 1871, photographers went through a development process where they had to coat the plate with wet chemical each and every time and process the image immediately. With the invention the gelatin dry plate silver bromide process by Richard Leach Maddox, negatives did not have to be developed immediately.

This was an important discovery since up until then the captured image had to be processed instantly.

Kodak created in 1888 by George Eastman has been a modern day pioneer of sorts in cameras and photography for the masses. George Eastman and the scientists who worked with him at Kodak developed the photographic film in 1889 and made it available in rolls for the mass use of consumers. An important milestone in our entertainment and communication history was the development of transparent roll film by Eastman. This development led to another key invention – the motion picture camera by Thomas Edison’s in 1891.

–>Modern Times

During the 20th century the pace of technology development in cameras and photography continued at an accelerated pace much like many other key technology developments. While several key inventions like car, telephone and the gramophone record happened in the later half of the 19th century, it is the last 100

years that saw major developmental work in many areas of communications technology and as well as in other fields – TV, aircrafts, PCs, digital technology, digital cameras, mobile phones, fax machines and the internet, to name a few.

In the case of the camera, the developments simplified the whole process of photography, making it accessible to one and all at affordable prices and the camera industry denizens of our times made it into a mass phenomenon. The first mass use camera became available at the turn of the 20th century and can be

traced back to the year 1900. There are hundreds of models of cameras available today both for the amateur as well as the professional and the camera is an important part of any family’s repertoire of must have gadgets.

–>20th century chronology in the history of the camera:

1913: 35 mm still-camera created

1927: The flash bulb introduced by General Electric Co. (The concept of camera flash existed much before but was based on the use of a flash light powder that was invented by German researchers)

1935- 1941: Kodak starts marketing Kodachrome film and subsequently launches Kodacolor negative film. Canon released the Hansa Canon in 1936, the first 35mm focal-plane shutter camera.

1948: The concept of the Polaroid camera is introduced in the market. American scientist Edwin Land developed the process for instant photography. Later Polaroid Corporation developed the ‘instant color’ film around 1963.

1957: Frenchman Jaques Yves Cousteau invented the first waterproof 35mm camera for underwater photography named the Calypso Phot. The actual camera was developed by the Belgian airplane technical designer Jean de Wouters based on the blueprint and suggestions given to him by Cousteau.

1972: The electronic camera that does not require film was created and patented by Texas Instruments. This is however not the same as a digital camera though you don’t require film in digital cameras as well. The launch of the digital camera is still many years away.

1975: Kodak’s experiments with digital imaging kicked off around the mid seventies but it will take another 20 years before a digital camera for the home consumer market is launched.

1978 – 1980: Asian players like Konica and Sony begin to make their mark. The ‘point and shoot’ automatic focus camera is launched by Konica while Sony starts talking about the camcorder and demonstrates a prototype.

1981: Sony launches a commercially available electronic still camera. Similar to the 1972 invention by Texas Instruments, the Sony electronic camera came with a mini disc on which images were recorded and stored. The recorded images could be later printed or viewed on a monitor using a reader device.

1985: Digital processing technology makes its entry. Digital imaging and processing is introduced by Pixar.

1986: The camera industry becomes even more consumer focused and taps the fun and travel connotations behind camera usage, with the launch of the concept of the disposable single use cameras. Fuji is credited with the development of this concept.

Also in 1986 - 1987, Kodak started taking giant strides in digital development. Digital means, the photographic image is divided into tiny units of dots or squares known as pixels. Pixels are the programmable units of an image that can be processed by computers. Each image could be made up of millions of pixels.

The use of pixels in digital technology allows storing large volumes of pixels to deliver high definition print quality.

1990: Kodak introduces Photo CD’s. It is a system of storing photographic images on CD and then viewing them on a computer. With this development the user-friendly approach of the camera industry began to take concrete shape.

1991: Kodak introduces a digital camera targeted at professionals and journalists. Kodak is credited with the invention of a pixel based camera technology known to us as the digital camera. Digital cameras don’t use film similar to their predecessor electronic cameras but the storage method is entirely

different and the final photograph is of much higher resolution. In a digital camera photos are recorded and stored in digital form. This digital data can be transferred to a computer and processed for printing. Kodak and Canon are well known digital camera manufacturers and there are also several other key brands as well.

1994: The Apple QuickTake camera, a home use digital camera is launched. This is followed by the launch of a clutch of home use digital cameras by Casio, Kodak and others in quick succession during 1995 -’96.

–>The digital era:

The development of digital camera technology is considered to be linked to the development of TV and Video technology. The principles of transmission and recording of audio-visual images using digital electrical impulses finds use in camera imaging as well.

Through the 1990’s the developments continued in camera technology, the focus now shifting to the field of digital imaging which is where the future lies.

Use- friendly features like software that can download digital images directly from camera onto home computers for storing and sharing on the internet is the new norm in the market place.

The camera, the computer, the software industry and the worldwide web are today irrevocably interlinked to empower the user in experiencing the benefits of camera usage to full potential. The innovation that sparked many an invention in the camera industry found its way into the digital world as well and continued among digital camera manufacturers. During 2001, the Kodak and Microsoft partnership ensured that digital camera manufacturers could use the power of Picture Transfer Protocol (PTP) standard through Windows. The digital photo experience is a key visual driver in the Internet era. Many of Kodak digital camera models with EasyShare capabilities are compatible with Windows XP. The Kodak EasyShare software enables users to transfer digital camera pictures directly from camera to their computers and then print the pictures or even email them.

Manufacturers in a related industry like the printing industry have adapted their products to be in sync with the images created by digital cameras. Cell phone manufacturers have tied up with digital camera manufacturers to develop new age camera phones in recent years. These camera phones can capture images and share the images through the cell phone.

Among the 21st century digital developments are the advanced product offerings from digital cameras manufacturers and these are sure to occupy an important place in the ensuing history of camera development. For instance, the Kodak Professional DCS Pro SLR/c is a high-end digital camera and the Kodak website calls the DCS Pro SLR models the most feature-rich digital cameras on the market. It has an image sensor that can handle 13.89 million pixels and this makes it the highest resolution digital camera available. High resolution determines the sharpness or level of detail in photographic images. This is just a glimpse of the capabilities that digital technology places in a user’s hands. Digital camera sales figures for 2003 show that the two key players Kodak and Canon have recorded impressive growth.

–>What does the future holds for camera users?

The features offered by digital cameras can be quite mind-boggling for the average user and pretty exciting for most pros. Four key ongoing camera

developments that are likely to further improve the process of photography:

1. Greater resolution from even the simplest, low cost camera models
2. Usage in any type of lighting conditions,
3. Compatibility across a range of software, hardware and image types
4. Rich colors and tone

While the higher-end digital evolution continues, the prices of the simple camera have crashed to such an extent that even children and teens are proud owners of uncomplicated cameras. The camera and photography interest starts young and this creates a truly large audience base for the camera industry.

And throughout history, it is evident that the endeavor of researchers and developers has been to make the camera available to a wide section of society.

Without camera technology and photography, the other key developments of cinema and TV would have been delayed and what a boring place the world would have been without TV and films!!

Tags: calotype, camera, daguerreotype, F. W. Herschel, film, George Eastman, graphein, image, images, photographic, photography, photos

The Camera Obscura: What Does It Relate To?

by: Roy Barker

The term camera obscura arises from time to time in the photography arena. I remember the time I first heard the term but knew not what it was. By the second or third time someone mentioned it in passing, I just had to look it up and I’m glad I did. It won’t help you take better pictures and you won’t earn more money but will gain some knowledge that starts the knowledge drive and understanding of the principles of photography that much further.

If you don’t know anything about the camera obscura, you will after this. Did you ever ask yourself why are photographic devices called cameras? They were called cameras because their direct ancestor is the camera obscura, an optical device functioning on the basis of a simple law of physics. Camera Obscura is the Latin for dark room. It is important to understand it is not an invented mechanical device; it works on a naturally occurring phenomenon. It is like a fire or rainbow.

To fully understand the concept, you can try this out: on a bright day, get into a very dark room (you can obtain the darkness by covering the window with an opaque, but thin material). Make a pinhole in the item that covers the window. If the hole is small enough, on the opposite wall you will see the world outside the window, in full color and motion and turned upside down. Your room is now a camera obscura.

Let’s see what is the principle of the camera obscura .When the rays reflected from the bright objects outside (this is why you need to make the experiment on a bright day) pass through the pinhole they do not scatter. Instead, they cross and reform as an upside down image on the opposite wall, or on any flat surface held parallel to the hole.

The principles of the camera obscura have been known since antiquity. Its earliest mention was by the Chinese philosopher Mo-Ti in the 5th century BC. His experiment was similar to the one described above. He called the darkened room the “locked treasure room”. Aristotle (3rd century BC) also understood the principle of the camera obscura. It has been claimed that the Islamic scientist Abu Ali Al-Hasan Ibn al-Haitham (also known as Al-Hazen) is the one who actually discovered it while carrying out some experiments in optics, in the early 11th century, Egypt.

In the 15th century Leonardo da Vinci described camera obscura in Codex Atlanticus. It appears that he was the first who discovered its potential as a drawing aid. In the 17th and 18th century artists such as Johannes Vermeer, Canaletto, Guardi and Paul Sandby were known for their incredible attention to detail. Therefore, it has been speculated that they made use of the camera obscura. If you’ve seen Girl with a Pearl Earring (a movie about how Vermeer created his masterpiece that gave the name of the film), you must remember that “magic box” that Griet finds in the artist’s atelier and her surprise when he shows her the way it works.

The camera obscura used by artists was not the rudimentary one described in the beginning of the article. The image quality was improved by adding a convex lens into the aperture and a set of mirrors solved the problem of the upside down image.

Let’s now understand how din this simple optical device turn into the photographic camera. The camera obscura managed to get an accurate image of the world outside; the only problem remained recording this image. Therefore, adding a sheet of light sensitive material to the little modified camera obscura was enough. This is the way photography was invented in the early 19th century.

Another use of the camera obscura was for entertainment; some camera obscura rooms have been built at the seaside or in areas of scenic beauty as tourist attractions. Some of them still survive. They are large chambers situated in high buildings. A live panorama of the outside is projected inside the room through a rotating lens. Some of you might ask yourselves what is the point of going into a dark room to look at the reflection of something you can see outside. The interesting thing in this kind of experience is not the view itself, but the feeling you get when you are just a spectator of the world that surrounds you.

Personally, I am absolutely fascinated by the camera obscura. There are many interesting things about it that I did not mention in this article. For instance, with its aid, you can experiment that light travels in time, with speed, and even calculate the speed of light. This was Al-Hazen’s discovery. Another interesting thing is that the German astronomer Johannes Kepler used a camera obscura for his astronomical observations. And there is much more to find out about this magical device…

Tags: camera, obscura, photography, pihnole, Pinhole Camera