CHAPTER 10

Pinhole Photography

Film/video/digital

The etymology of the word camera comes from both the Latin word for chamber (a fancy word for a room) and the Greek word for a covered enclosure. A camera obscura (Latin for “dark room”) was an optical device used for scientific investigation, entertainment and as an aid in drawing for over 2000 years. The basic mechanics of a camera obscura are a “dark chamber” with a very small opening (aperture) to a well-lit area beyond and it is possible to make one out of any room or box providing you can get it dark enough.

If you created an entirely dark chamber with just a small opening to the outside, what you would see opposite that opening would be an upside-down image of the outside world. The ...

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