Camera Obscura, the history of Photography

Photography as we know it today is only about 165 years-old.  But the concept of light entering a dark box or room and projecting an image on a surface has been around for thousands of years.  These boxes or darkened rooms were called "Camera Obscura."  

We created an image on a white seamless paper in our darkened studio by light coming through one small hole about the size of a nickel.  The image is upside down and reversed and at first the students were not entirely clear on what they were seeing.  When a bus drove by across the top of the seamless paper, it was a scary sight!

It was a fun, practical History of Photography class lesson that really simplified the concept that photography is just a box that allows light into it through an opening.

You can see the amazing detail that is simply coming from a tiny hole with no lens whatsoever.

This is a time exposure photo of about 3 seconds, so only static items remain sharp.