camera obscura tent
Exploration into Photographic processes
you can make a camera obscura out of anything hollow and dark
Building a camera obscura out of a tent was a real challenge. I wanted to create a camera from an object that I could photograph from the inside. Choosing a tent was perfect as it would be portable. To keep it within budget I invested in a small play tent from ‘Toys R Us’ and added eight layers of bin bags to make it light proof. The tent didn’t have a bottom so I had to sew fabric around the ends and I also stitched a door for the tent. Nine hours later my tent was light proof. Its a pretty tight squeeze inside, but room enough to fit a camera and tripod inside with myself. There was no way to test if the pinhole worked without being taped up inside on a bright sunny day so I had to wait a little while before I could start the experiment.
its too small, its so uncomfortable inside
For the camera obscura to work properly, I had to ensure it was completely light proof. This would usually be done with blackout material, but it was both difficult and too expensive to get hold of this. Instead I used thinner material to stitch the floor and windows of the tent before layering black bin bags over the top. This also meant that the tent was not as heavy and easy to move around. This was the aim of my project, to create a portable camera obscura. I first took the camera obscura tent to St Andrews park to test it out. I had someone to help me get inside and tape up the tent. This made it completely dark inside which was a horrible experience. It was a very tight squeeze which meant it was extremely hot and uncomfortable. Once the pinhole had been opened to reveal the light, it was amazing inside, so bright. Through the small pinhole the light had been squeezed through projecting an upside down image of my surroundings. I could see the whole park projected inside the walls of the tent. I watched as people walked past and got on with their daily routines.
its a tight squeeze
i must look like a right weirdo in here
From the outside the tent looked very odd. People came over to ask what I was doing and couldn’t understand how I had turned a tent into a camera. From inside I was trying to get my digital camera set up on the tripod using a long exposure. I had a disaster with the camera inside and couldn’t find the right setting so the majority of the photos came out black from under-exposure. I tried several different setting but my photos were still coming out dark and more like shadows.
i can see you alice make shapes for me to photograph
After a while the sun started to go away and it was more difficult to see the park being projected. I got my helper to walk past and make shapes with her body which would be easier to identify in the photographs. The longer I was inside the tent the hotter and more frustrated I got. I was inside the tent for around half an hour, and the most I was able to photograph was a shadowy image of the trees and a few people’s heads. My second attempt was not much more of a success. I was far more prepared before going inside and had the camera at the right setting. Because it was a partly cloudy day the projection was no where near as bright therefore my images were still too dark. Overall I think this project was still a success, even if I can never show people the amazing projections I saw.
are you still alive in there? i think you should come out now!
Camera Obscura Tent Exploration into Photographic processes
www.rosieslade.co.uk