A Cathedral Seen From a Shed

For just a few weeks in 2017, a garden shed appeared in the grounds of Ripon Cathedral.  Only it wasn’t a garden shed.  It was a camera obscura: a rather large pinhole camera.

Here was a wooden shed with a rotating angled mirror at the apex of the roof, projecting an image of the cathedral onto a horizontal surface inside.

Go inside, get used to the dark … and this is what you saw.  A new perspective on an ancient cathedral.

Square Perspectives

Author: margaret21

I'm retired and living in North Yorkshire, where I walk as often as I can, write, volunteer, and travel as often as I can.

28 thoughts on “A Cathedral Seen From a Shed”

  3. There is one in Aberystwyth, but I haven’t been inside. One that I have is in a garden close by. As you say, a little disappointing. But a great square!

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  5. I’ve never been inside one of these but I’d like to, despite being prepared to be underwhelmed. Early photography always holds a fascination – an era which feels so long ago.

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  6. Great picture – it looks at though the simplicity means none of the usual lens distortion of the building. Or, is that your clever selection for the shot?

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  8. well I found this very interesting as I’ve so often read about the camera obscura and how many outstandingly famous artists (eg Vermeer, Leonardo and even David Hockney recently)used one – note how I’ve avoided the use of the plural as I’m not sure enough of my Latin! So although it’s tame indeed compared with cameras and all the other visual technology we’re blessed(?) with, it’s really interesting to explore one and see what you can see. So thank you and thanks for the pic you took with it.

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  9. I dare say I ought to know how a pinhole makes a photo but I really don’t. For many of us, I suspect, the science behind the way our cameras make images seems more miracle than something completely understood. Light is mysterious in so many ways – speed, for example, and colour, and the way plants, by eating it, make all other food possible. I’m glad that many people do understand these things, but I like the marvel of it too.

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