In a world filled with digital cameras and televisions, Iphones and HD camcorders, who would think that the production of a fuzzy, imperfect and upside down image (unless mirrors are involved) would fill an entire day with excitement and wonder? Well, it can... and it does.
There is just something about seeing and making an image appear "out of thin air" that is both remarkable and irreplaceable. The fact that one tiny hole can let the whole world into a simple cardboard box... colors and all... is nothing short of magic... even after you know the physics. That's probably why pinhole camera clubs and enthusiasts have continued to exist in every corner of the world, and why a Camera Obscura is an amazing Saturday afternoon family project.
{Clockwise from top-left: supplies; camera obscura tube and box; back of camera obscura box; camera obscura box/blanket fort}
Using two different versions of a Camera Obscura (box version here, and tube version here) we explored the corners of our home and took a fun walk outside. We even built a blanket fort with the box version sticking out one side so we could watch "upside down TV" ... a.k.a. some of us went inside the dark fort and watched the Camera Obscura screen as the others performed skits on the outside for us to see!
{Due to the properties of light, and the restrictive nature of the pinhole, the image in a Camera Obscura appears upside down. See "Physics" link above for a great hands-on experiment that helps explain this}
We made a couple of alterations to the box version, mainly at the spot where we made the pinhole. The original design calls for a simple hole in the cardboard, but since cardboard is thick and usually requires a large hole which results in a less focused image, we cut a small rectangle out instead and covered it with tinfoil. This way, you can experiment with with the size of the hole to see what happens, and replace it if you need to start over. We also wrapped the box in a couple of sheets of craft paper and taped all the seams with thick gaff tape to make it as light proof as possible.
We had a lot of fun with these simple versions, but have our eyes set on this for our next experiment. These are really amazing too, and this page has a lot of good activities including a Camera Obscura tent! If you would like to capture some of these types of images on the go, you can attach/tape the tube version shown above to a camera (that's how we shot the circular images).