The Daily Book of Photography

DAY 2

HISTORY OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Ancient Times

GLIMMERS OF LIGHT

Camera obscura (from Latin for “dark room” or “darkened chamber”) is a large room or box with a tiny hole in one side, through which light passes through and casts an upside-down image of whatever was directly outside. This principle was one of the major precursors to the development of photography.

While Arab scientist Ibn al-Haytham is credited with building the first camera obscura in or around the year 1021 AD, prior to that Chinese philosopher Mo-Tzu and Greek philosopher Aristotle both wrote of the principles surrounding the images created by light passing through a small ...