Images of my Camera Obscura:
The Camera Obscura:
The Renaissance, translated from French to mean "Rebirth", was a time of new creations, inventions, and ideas in history. Leonardo da Vinci was an artist, scientist, and inventor, and is one of the most important figures to have contributed to the Renaissance period. Da Vinci was known for his paintings. inventions, and his work that dealt with optics and the science behind the human eye.
Although he did not create the camera obscura, da Vinci spent his time studying the camera obscura and the similarities between it and the human eye. He worked with the camera obscura and used it as a drawing tool as well as for his research ("The Camera Obscura."). The camera obscuras that were constructed in class consisted of a dark box that had a lens on the outside, and a smaller box within the dark box that had a screen to project the image. The result of light reflecting on the lens and the box is an image produced upside down (Haunty). Da Vinci's research showed that there is a relationship between the camera obscura and the human eye. A human eye views an object, light reflects off of the object, and travels through your pupil to produce the image seen through our eyes. Da Vinci was the first of his time to go into depth in this research, and therefore concluded that the human eye and camera obscura can complete a similar function.
I encountered one major challenge when completing the Camera Obscura assignment. My challenge was the frustration that resulted from the image not being as clear on my phone as it had appeared on the screen in my camera obscura. Using modern day technology for photography, such as iPhones and DSLR cameras, it is relatively simple most of the time to capture an image and have it be a clear and similar representation to what is actually seen with the human eye. However, using the camera obscura made me realize and more conscious of the idea that some images are unable to be captured as clear as they could be due to the technology or form of the camera used.
The photographs I had taken at the University of Glasgow were clearly reflected on the screen of my camera obscura, but once I used my phone to take a picture of the picture produced on the screen, the quality diminished significantly. The lessons I took away from this particular challenge were that technology has improved over the past centuries in the sense that is now simpler to capture an image with a camera due to the image on the screen being able to be captured with the click of a button as opposed to having to use another camera to capture the image produced on a camera, as done in the camera obscura assignment.
The photographs displayed below were taken at University of Glasgow in Glasgow, Scotland. My intention behind these photos was to capture and focus on the Gothic Revival architecture at the University. The Gilbert Scott Building led to my decision of my theme being Gothic Revival architecture for my portfolio. The Gilbert Scott Building is the second largest example of Gothic Revival architecture in the British Isles, and therefore I chose to photograph different angles and segments of the building in my portfolio.
This assignment was particularly interesting in the sense that I was able to expand my knowledge of the history of photography by building and using my own camera obscura for an assignment, as well as I was able to explore a new area of Scotland and capture Glasgow's unique architecture and styles on campus through the lens of my camera obscura. This assignment has made me have an even higher appreciation for photography and how camera technology has improved from the creation of camera obscura in the late 17th century to present day times.
References:
Haunty. "Leonardo Da Vinci's Camera Obscura." Owlcation. Owlcation, 22 Dec. 2016. Web. 17 June 2017.
"The Camera Obscura." FotoHistory: Camera Obscura. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 June 2017. <http://www.fotomuseum.ws/archive/photo/history/chapter/optics.htm>.
Photo Collection:
 |
| Adam Smith Business School at University of Glasgow, Glasgow Scotland |
 |
| Western Wall of The Cloisters at University of Glasgow, Glasgow Scotland |
 |
| Northwest Corner of The Gilbert Scott Building at the University of Glasgow, Glasgow Scotland |
 |
| The Gilbert Scott Building at the University of Glasgow, Glasgow Scotland |
 |
| Archway to The East Quadrangle at the University of Glasgow, Glasgow Scotland |
 |
| Northwest Corner of The Gilbert Scott Building at the University of Glasgow, Glasgow Scotland |
 |
| Tower of The Gilbert Scott Building at the University of Glasgow, Glasgow Scotland |
 |
| Northeast Corner of The East Quadrangle at the University of Glasgow, Glasgow Scotland |
No comments:
Post a Comment