Make a Camera Obscura with Lindsey Palmer
/Lindsey Palmer shows you how you can create a camera obscura, a phenomenon in which you use every day objects to turn any room into a light projection of the outdoors! Project the outside into your home using this ancient technology!
For this workshop, you will need :
- black garbage bags (or blankets, towels, and other light blocking materials)
- tape
- scissors
- room with at least one window
- tinfoil or aluminum foil
Watch the video here!
MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR
Lindsey Palmer is a recent graduate of RIT’s MFA in Photography and Related Media program. She lives and works in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as a gallery worker, art installer, and an adjunct photography instructor. She received her BFA from Point Park University, in 2015 and has been attending SPE conferences since 2012. Palmer specializes in alternative process and experimental image-making. Recently she has been awarded the ImageOut Prize in the Rochester NY Emerging 19 juried show and is part of the RIT Library’s Cary Collection.
Step 1 : Create your lens
Grab your aluminum foil, fold it in half, and cut a circle in the center of it. Start with a small circle. Tape it to the window.
Step 2 : Cover the rest of the window
Using blankets, cardboard, tape, and other light blocking materials, cover the rest of window to block out the light. Be sure to cover up all the little holes coming in through the window to get the clearest picture! Windows will light pouring in will provide a brighter image.
Step 3 : Turn off the lights, and marvel at the magic!
That’s it! There are many incredible artists who use this as a projection tool or a performance back drop, but you’re also welcome to sit and watch the world go by.
