Julia LoPresti's Camera Obscura Project: On Location

It seems everyone else did this as one post, but since I already did the construction part, I guess I just have to add the pictures.

June 18: Grounds of Urquhart Castle with Loch Ness

Exposure Time: approximately 1s Weather: rainy

June 18: Urquhart Castle

Exposure Time: approximately 1s Weather: rainy

June 18 Urquhart Castle

Exposure Time: approximately 1s Weather: Rainy

I encountered several challenges with my camera obscura in the construction and use. The first issue I encountered was structural integrity- the cardboard I used had been used and reused several times before and the creases made mine a little bit flimsy. The second problem I encountered was the screen. I initially made the inner box too long, making it difficult to focus, so I had to pull the inner box out and remake it. The only piece of Tesco bag I had left for the second screen had a rather large crease running down the middle, which you can probably see quite easily. Although I seem to have had a faster shutter speed than everyone else, it was very hard to keep both the camera obscura and camera steady and dry at the same time in the rainy weather, causing significant blurriness. The weather caused even more problems with the integrity of the cardboard and, if I decide to use the camera again, will require some significant repairs.

The camera obscura did attract a certain amount of attention when I brought it out, and I had fun trying to bridge the language barrier to explain the principles of the camera obscura to some French visitors to the castle.