Camera Obscura
Tutorial developed by Kayla Matthew
Digital design by Indiana Humniski
Two trees and horizon line as seen through a homemade cardboard camera obscura
A camera obscura is an optical device that projects an inverted image onto a paper screen by refracting and focusing light rays through a lens. A camera obscura is sometimes referred to as a ‘pinhole camera’ and was a precursor to the photographic camera.
The historical origins of the camera obscura can be traced back to ancient times, when various Chinese, Greek, and Arabian philosophers described light rays passing through holes and projecting images. Early forms of the camera obscura were dark rooms with a small hole cut into the wall, which light would pass through to project an image on the opposite wall. In the sixteenth century, lenses were added to camera obscuras and they started to become commonplace as handheld and portable devices. By the eighteenth century, camera obscuras were commonly used as drawing tools, inspiring some to wonder whether they could permanently capture the image held by the camera obscura. William Henry Fox Talbot, one of photography’s inventors, combined light-sensitive paper with the camera obscura to create some of the earliest photographs.
This tutorial will teach you how to make a handheld camera obscura out of a cardboard box and will allow you to experiment with how artists might have used these devices as drawing tools prior to the invention of photography. Do you want to learn more about this craft, the history of camera obscuras, and contemporary uses of camera obscuras? Click here for a list of scholarly sources, websites, and an interactive camera obscura show located in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Three camera obscuras that belonged to W. H. F. Talbot, sourced from The National Media Museum.
Illustration of the exterior and interior of a room-sized camera obscura, sourced from James Ayscough’s A Short Account of the Eye and Nature of Vision (1755).
A window and glass vases, photographed with a digital camera by Dr. Andrea Korda (2024).
The same window and glass vases as seen through the vellum screen of a homemade camera obscura; digital photograph by Dr. Andrea Korda (2024).
You Will Need…
Scissors and a glue stick, though not pictured above, are also needed.
Materials:
Cardboard box (the boxes we are experimenting with here are 12.5 x 12.5 x 12.5 cm and 7.5 x 7.5 x 10 cm)
An additional piece of cardboard that is slightly bigger than one side of the box. (It will need to be as large or larger than one side of the box with an additional 2 cm on each side to create flaps, as described in Step 5)
Magnifying lens (we recommend using a pocket magnifying card that is the size of a credit card. We’ve also had success with the more traditional magnifying glass)
Vellum paper or other thin paper that will let light pass through it, such as white parchment paper
Black duct tape
Pen or pencil
Exacto knife
Glue stick
Scissors
Ruler
Step 1: Prepare the Box
Start by identifying the two opposite sides of your box that you will cut the lens and screen out of. Choose sides of your box that do not have the connecting flap of cardboard glued on the inside. These flaps hold the box together and cutting through them will weaken your box’s integrity.
Views of our cardboard boxes from above. On each box, notice the side where an extra flap is glued down on the interior of the box, as indicated by the red arrows. The blue arrows show the sides of the boxes that should be used to create the lens and the screen of the camera obscura.
Step 2: Cut the Hole for your Lens
On one of your opposite sides, draw a 1 cm square in the centre of the side.
Cut out the 1 cm square to create a hole which acts as your camera lens. (With a smaller box, you can experiment with smaller holes. We made a 0.5 cm square hole in the smaller box.)
Our two boxes, each with a square marking the centre of the box’s side.
Our two boxes, each with a square cut out of the centre of the box’s side.
Our two boxes with the sides cut out where the screens will go.
Step 3: Cut Out the “Screen Side”
Next, cut out the side of the box opposite from your square lens hole, but be sure to leave enough of a border so that the box’s walls remain connected.
View of the bottom of our two boxes reinforced with black duct tape to keep light out of the box.
Step 4: Tape up the Bottom of the Box
Close the box’s flaps (if they are not already closed) and secure with black duct tape.
Reinforce the corners and any seams with additional duct tape so that light cannot seep into the box once it is closed.
Create a smooth floor on the inside of your box by covering it with a layer of duct tape. A smooth surface will allow you to move your screen back and forth to adjust the focus of your image.
Step 5: Create the Frame for the Screen
Using the additional piece of cardboard you gathered, cut it so that it is the same height as your box and at least 4 cm wider than your box.
Place your box in the centre of the rectangular piece of cardboard. Draw lines on each side of the box to indicate where the cardboard will need to fold to create a U shape that can fit snugly into the box. Use an exacto knife to cut a shallow slit along the two drawn lines. Your piece of cardboard will remain in one piece, but you’ll be able to fold the two sides up to create a U shape.
Two cardboard boxes, each one resting on another piece of cardboard with lines drawn to indicate the width of the boxes.
Rectangular pieces of cardboard with flaps on either side of the central space folded upwards along the shallow slits that were cut into the cardboard.
Our two boxes with the frames inserted. Notice how the larger box on the right has an additional piece of cardboard inserted between the box’s wall and the frame. You can also see additional pieces of cardboard that were removed from the flaps, which were initially too long.
Step 6: Fit and Adjust the Frame for the Screen
Slide the U-shaped frame into the box, with the flaps facing towards the larger opening (and away from the lens).
Adjust the frame as necessary to achieve a snug fit.
This might mean inserting an additional piece of cardboard on the side if the fit is too loose or adding an additional slit and fold that will narrow the width of the frame.
You can also adjust the height of the frame as necessary. The top flats of the box should fold down to create a flat top.
Step 7: Create the Screen for your Camera
Remove the U-shaped frame from the box. Cut out the centre of the largest surface to make an opening you will cover with your screen. Be sure to leave a border that is between 1 cm and 2 cms in width. Cut out the centre of the screen, leaving a border of 1 or 2 cm.
Cut a piece of vellum or white parchment paper to the size of the frame (excluding the flaps). Affix the vellum or parchment paper to your screen, pulling it tight across the screen and avoiding any air pockets in order to create a smooth surface. We recommend using a glue stick for best results.
Two cardboard boxes along with two frames for the screens, now with the centres cut out.
Vellum paper cut to the size of the cardboard frames, ready to be glued.
Step 8: Creating the Camera Lens
Use small stripts of black duct tape to line the sides of the hole you created for the lens. This will help you get a sharper image. Place the magnifying lens over your lens hole and secure it in place with duct tape, ensuring that no additional light seeps in from the sides. This will act as your camera lens.
Top Tip: You can get a cleaner opening to the lens by creating your lens opening from a piece of metal cut from a soda can. If you want to try this out, make your lens opening in your piece of metal, sand it down on both sides to remove any burrs, and then attach it onto your cardboard box with duct tape where the lens hole in the cardboard had been. (Check out our pinhole photography tutorial to learn how to make a camera from a soda can!)
Other Tips:
You can attach the magnifier on the inside or outside of the box. Place it on the inside for a cleaner look.
Stronger magnification results in a sharper image. If you are using a pocket magnifying card, you can cut it in two and stack the two halves to create a stronger magnifying lens.
The holes for the camera’s lens are lined with duct tape to create smooth edges.
One pocket magnifying lens cut into four pieces. Two pieces will be layered on top of each other in each camera obscura.
Two cardboard camera obscuras with magnifying lenses covering the lens hole and secured with black duct tape.
Two camera obscuras with screens inserted, lens pointing towards a window.
Step 9: Insert the Screen
Place your screen inside the box, with folded flaps pointed towards the larger opening (not the side with the camera lens). Use the folded flaps to slide the screen closer to or further away from the lens, which is how you focus the image. (You might end up trimming the flaps if you want the screen further away from the lens.) Turn off the lights in the room and aim the lens at a well-lit window while looking into the opposite end of the box at your screen. Experiment with the focus by moving the screen closer and further from the lens.
Top Tip: For best results, try draping a dark opaque cloth over you and your camera to block out the light. Make sure not to cover your lens.
Once you have the clearest possible focus, leave your screen in place. You can also tape it in place, making sure to cover any gaps where light might seep in.
Two camera obscuras with screens inserted and secured with duct tape on all sides and corners.
Step 10: Finishing the Box
To finish your camera obscura, fold down the remaining open flaps on your cardboard box, and use duct tape to firmly secure them.
Once again, reinforce the corners and any seams with additional duct tape so that light cannot seep into the box once it is closed.
Step 11: Using the Camera Obscura
To use your completed camera obscura, turn off the lights in the room and aim the box at a well-lit window, with your lens facing the window. As notes above, for best results, try draping a dark opaque cloth over you and your camera to block out the light. Make sure not to cover your lens.
View of a window with colourful vases lined up on the window ledge, as seen through the larger of the two camera obscuras.
View of a window with colourful vases lined up on the window ledge, as seen through the smaller of the two camera obscuras.
Two camera obscuras with screens inserted, lens pointing towards a window.
A graphic that contrasts the camera obscura‘s subject (left) versus the flipped image result (right) [made by Indiana Humniski].
Camera obscuras come in all different shapes and sizes. Have fun experimenting with different boxes and lenses!
If you decide to try out this tutorial for yourself, send us pictures of your results on Instagram @crafty_victorians!
Historical Image Citations
Ayscough, James. A Short Account of the Eye and Nature of Vision. 4th ed., 1755.
"Three Cameras Associated with W. H. F. Talbot." Photographs from the National Media Museum, c. 1820-1842.
Click here for additional resources!
Contributors
Kayla Matthew
Kayla Matthew is a fourth-year student in Creativity and Culture at the University of Alberta's Augustana Campus, with a focus on text and theory courses. Apart from her work as a research assistant, Kayla enjoys volunteering with the Augustana Students Association and taking part in Augustana's weekly Crafternoons. Her other interests include swimming, camping, cheesy romance novels, and watching history documentaries.
Indiana Humniski
Indiana Humniski is an R.A. for Crafting Communities, entering her 4th year in the Honours English program at the University of Manitoba. She is known for her love for literature (and Taylor Swift). This is the second crafting tutorial she has designed. She encourages curious crafters to take a path into the past, making their own camera obscuras.