Lesson Plan prepared for Concord Academy
May, 2021

PAST STUDENT EXAMPLE - THE CAMERAVAN

Using and old minivan, students constructed a mobile, working camera obscura. Students emptied the back of the van of all seats and debris. They built a light tight barrier behind the driver and passenger seats, which doubled as a “film plane” which was painted white. Using paint, plastic and newspaper, students blacked out the back of the van and using a drill, cut out a large hole in the back door of the van. Students made various pinhole plates to place in front of the hole, each with a different pinhole diameter.  

After deciding a composition, the teacher would drive and park the van in the directed space. Students were able to sit inside the van and watch how the landscape outside appeared on the film plane. Using photographic paper, they were able to create paper negatives which were then contact printed in the darkroom to create a final image.