The word Photography literally means ‘drawing with light’, which derives from the Greek photo, meaning light and graph, meaning to draw. Photography is the process of recording an image – a photograph – on lightsensitive film or, in the case of digital photography, via a digital electronic or magnetic memory.
The invention of photography is a contested subject. It was the outcome of many technological developments, most notably associated with the Industrial Revolution in the nineteenth century, but was also influenced by earlier technological developments such as the Camera obscura, which is an optical device used during the Renaissance to aid drawing and perspective.
IMMA (n.d) URL
Niépce (1826) 'View from the Window at Le Gras'
Photography began in the early 19th century when the first camera was created. Throughout history, photography has been equal parts art and science. The first photo was created by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in 1826 and was almost a science experiment. He captured the photo, called View from the Window at Le Gras, through a camera obscura—a darkened room with a small hole that projected an image onto a surface using chemicals on a pewter plate. This achievement marked a significant advancement beyond traditional methods of representation like painting or drawing, as it allowed for the direct and precise capture of reality. Niépce’s work laid the foundation for future photographic innovations, inspiring other inventors like Louis Daguerre, who would refine and popularise the process.
A camera obscura, which means "dark room" in Latin, is a simple way to see how light works. If you make a room completely dark and then let a small stream of light in through a tiny hole, you’ll see an upside-down image of the outside world on the opposite wall. This happens because light travels in straight lines, so light from the top of an object, like a candle, ends up at the bottom of the wall, and light from the bottom ends up at the top. Artists discovered this trick hundreds of years ago and used it to help them draw realistic pictures of what they saw outside. More recently, artist Abelardo Morell has turned whole rooms into camera obscuras to project amazing images of cities and landscapes.
Photo Pedagogy (n.d) 'Camera Obscura' URL
University of Central Florida (n.d.) URL
The camera obscura was an early way of capturing images by allowing light to pass through a small hole into a dark room, creating an inverted image on the opposite wall. Modern digital cameras work on the same basic principle—light enters through a lens and is focused onto a sensor. Instead of projecting the image onto a wall, digital cameras use a sensor that converts the light in to electronic signals which are then converted in to a digital image (made from pixels which are squares of light). This is then stored on your SD card and can be downloaded on to a computer or phone. The mirror in a DSLR works by reflecting the light in to a series of mirrors that then show you the image through the viewfinder until it flips up when you push the shutter button, allowing the light to hit the digital sensor.
Abelardo Morell is a photographer known for his innovative use of the camera obscura technique. He transforms entire rooms into pinhole cameras by making them completely dark and allowing light to enter through a tiny hole, projecting an image of the outside world onto the walls. Using an SLR camera on a tripod and long exposures, he captures these surreal and intricate projections, blending interior and exterior spaces in his photographs.
What is the difference between seeing the moving image, upside down in the room, and seeing a photograph of the image?
Why use the medium of photography to capture experiences?
What's the difference between a black and white and a colour version of the scene?
Why does the photograph of the upside down image in the room need such a long exposure?
If a photograph captures very long periods of time why not make a film instead?
Examples from Photo Pedagogy (n.d) 'Camera Obscura' URL
To turn an office or classroom into a camera obscura, make the room completely dark by covering the windows with black sheets or thick paper. Then, cut a small hole in the covering to let in a stream of light, which will project an upside-down image of the outside world onto the opposite wall.
Use a camera lens or cap that is a similar size to the diameter of the lens connection point on your camera. Trace around this on to black card.
Measure the diameter of the circle you have just created. Created a cross over the circle so that you have marked the centre point. Cut out your black circle.
Use a pin or a skewer to create a pin hole in the lens that you are creating.
Note: A smaller pinhole will result in less light, meaning a sharper, and dimmer image.
A larger pinhole results in more light and a brighter and blurrier image
Now that you have created your pinhole lens, you can secure it to your camera using a small quantity of masking tape. Aim to get your pinhole as close to the middle as possible.
Once your new lens is secured, cover the entire radius of it with tape so that you are blocking out the ability for any light to enter in to the camera from the sides.
Your pinhole lens should now be ready to go! You should use the 'Manual' mode by selecting it on the dial on the top right of the camera. A low shutter speed and high ISO will help you to counter the lack of light through this lens and take a properly exposed image. You will need to keep your camera still for a long exposure.
Your images will likely still be a little blurrier than you are used to. This is much like some of the first photographs that were taken!
Creating a lens is possible from a toilet roll, Pringles container or coke can! By extending the distance from the pinhole to the DSLR mirrored sensor essentially increases the focal length (f stop). Doing this, will result in a larger magnification of the image but a narrower field of view. Longer distances tend to maintain a large depth of field, meaning most of the scene will remain in focus.
Things to Think About
This semester, you do not have a portfolio where you are required to collect each and every class activity that you do.
HOWEVER, our first task will be a Photography History Exploration where you will be required to analyse and respond to ideas about the history of and development of Photography.
Use the questions below to help you reflect on what was relevant from this lesson and use the extension questions if you want to get ahead on preparing for our first assessable task.
How did Joseph Nicéphore Niépce’s invention change the way people captured and preserved reality?
Why was the camera obscura an important step in the development of photography as both an art and a science?
In what ways can experimenting with DIY pinhole cameras deepen our understanding of how modern camera lenses work?
What challenges did early photographers face compared to modern photography methods?
Why does the size of the pinhole affect the sharpness and brightness of the image in a pinhole camera?
How do long exposure times influence the way we interpret the images captured by pinhole cameras or early photography?