Camera Obscura Image of the Hotel del Coronado, 1998

Abelardo Morell is best known for his images made with a camera obscura where he transforms a whole room into a camera. The camera obscura, translated literally as “dark chamber,” pre-dates the invention of the camera by centuries. Hints of its use date back to antiquity. In an ordinary room, Morell places black plastic over all of the windows to darken it completely, but leaves a tiny opening for light to pass through. He then sets up his view camera in the room, points it at the opposite wall, opens the lens and lets the image appear on the film over the next eight hours. The result is a world that fuses outdoor elements with indoor scenes, allowing the viewer to see the existing reality outside the window. When asked about the camera obscura process, Morell stated, “Every time I got a room ready for a camera obscura picture, my wife and son would witness it. I remember lying in bed with them watching neighbors going to work and squirrels walking on telephone poles. That summer I felt that I had touched on something very important: that the very basics of photography could be potent and strange. So why not make pictures about the medium itself and see where they would take me?” Along with the camera obscura, Morell also photographs household objects as if seen through the eyes of his son, Brady, to convey the wide-eyed wonder children experience within the adult world. With his chosen subjects and style, Morell’s images always challenge our perception of reality and how we see.

In this image, the Hotel del Coronado is seen reflected onto the wall. The image is upside down because light rays travel in a straight line. When light from the bottom of an object travels through a small opening, it will appear at the top of the wall. When light from the top of an object travels through a small opening, it will appear at the bottom of the wall. The final image is therefore upside down.

Discussion Questions

(For Grades 4-6)

What parts of this image are actual objects inside the room being photographed?

What do you see of the outside? Turn the image upside down. Can you find more?

What would it look like if you made a camera obscura out of your classroom? How would you do it? What would you see projected onto the wall?

What year do you think this photograph was taken? What do you see that makes you say that? Where do you think it was taken?

Bibliography

This list of resources is available for use at the Dubois Library at the Museum of Photographic Arts. The Library is open by appointment to MOPA Members, educators and researchers, and its collections are available for on-site use only. Contact the Library at 619-238-7559x216 or library@mopa.org.

Humenuk, Allison. In Camera: The Making of a Camera Obscura Photograph. 1998. 

Morell, Abelardo. 1995. A camera in a room. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press. 

Morell, Abelardo. 2004. Camera obscura. New York, NY: Bulfinch Press.

Ollman, Arthur, Abelardo Morell, and Diana Gaston. 1998. Abelardo Morell and the camera eye. San Diego, Calif: Museum of Photographic Arts.