Camera Obscura at The Photographers' Gallery

The Latin words camera obscura can be roughly translated as darkened room or chamber. A camera obscura is created when a small hole or aperture is made in a darkened space, producing an inverted image of the scene outside onto an opposite surface within. This phenomenon has helped to prove that light travels in straight lines. A lens is used to increase 
the brightness and sharpness of the image. Camera obscura have been used as an aid to drawing and, particularly during the Victorian era, a popular form of entertainment. There are many camera obscura located throughout the world including: Greenwich; Aberystwyth; Bristol; Edinburgh; and further afield in Eger, Hungary; Santa Monica, USA; Havana, Cuba; and Johannesburg, South Africa. The Photographers' Gallery's camera obscura was developed in collaboration with Tony Willett and Dom Patteson from Amazing Camera Obscura.