Today we visited The Photographers’ Gallery to try out their very own camera obscura!
The Latin words ‘camera obscura’ can be roughly translated as darkened room or chamber. A camera obscura is created when a small hole or aperture is made in a darkened space, producing an inverted image of the scene outside onto an opposite surface within.
We learnt that this phenomenon has helped humans to prove that lights travels in straight lines. We explored the way the lens is used to increase the brightness and sharpness of the image. We also learnt that the camera obscura was a very popular form of entertainment during the Victorian era as well as an aid to drawing for many artists.
We then had the chance to build and experiment with a simple camera obscura, exploring the inversion of images and the fact that smaller pinholes lead to clearer images.
Thank you to all the parents who assisted us on this trip!
