Last Updated on 11/20/2019 by Mark Beckenbach
If you’re in Seoul in the coming days, keep an eye out for this giant camera obscura project setting up soon!
We’ve seen a fair number of cool camera obscura projects in the past, and we’re glad to add one more to the list. Seoul-based Justin Lovett recently decided to build a giant, portable camera obscura using a tent and some blackout curtain fabric. Projects like this are fun ways to learn about photography and how a camera works in its simplest form, so if you’re curious about how you can build one yourself, you might get some ideas from the videos documenting this project! If you’ll be in the South Korean capital in the coming days as well, you may even see this tent-camera in action!
Documentation for the project consists of two videos, the latest uploaded just a few days ago. Justin isn’t new to building a camera obscura; this is actually his third one, which he decided to build with a budget under $600. So far, he and two other team members were able to put together a tent ($100) fitted a custom-made blackout curtain fabric body (approximately $300 plus $125 for labor). After two attempts of setting it up, it looks like they have a good working camera obscura!
Watch how it all went down below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?tv=HWKfll3uXQQ
In case this is the first time you’ve heard about the camera obscura, basically, it shows us the camera in its earliest form: a light-tight box with a small hole or aperture that projects an upside-down image inside (in the video, they simply flipped the footage showing the projected image for easier viewing). A photosensitive medium like film, photo paper, or digital sensor placed opposite the tiny hole will capture that image. With this concept, anything light-tight with a hole small enough to project a clear image can be a camera obscura — a room, a shed, or even a tent!
In the second video, Justin also gave a heads up that they plan to set up their portable giant camera obscura at a park near the Han River. For those who want to experience it, he’s inviting everyone to follow him on Instagram (@lovettjustin) for details about the time, date, and exact spot where they will set up.
Cover image from the video