Richard Learoyd
Richard Learoyd, was born in 1966, and graduated in Fine Art Photography at the Glasgow School of Art. He has a very unique way of working which creates absolutely unique photographs. He build a giant camera that can best be described as a huge camera obscura. The camera is comprised of two rooms. In one room is the model or the object in a light source. In the other room, behind a large lens, is a huge piece of photographic paper. Once exposed, a unique, life-size direct-positive print is created. Unlike the pinhole camera images, Richard’s photographs are clear of distortion, sharp and very detailed. Apart from the technical aspects, he manages to create poetically stunning imagery. He places people, clothed and nude, as well as objects in front of his lens. The exposure can take 8 hours, so the models have to sit still while being under hot lights for the same amount of time. The final and approved images, he destroys the one’s that are imperfect, have a painter-like quality to them with soft tones and melancholic poses. He considers the method to be a natural step in search of the ultimate image.
Marja Pirila
Marja has been working with camera obscure techniques since 1996 as she is fascinated by the phenomenon. She uses Camera obscure as a method by which ‘to survey the living environment and mental landscapes, summoning unconscious feelings into the light of day. In camera obscura darkness, silence and slowness compel one to contemplate the world in a novel way, from new angles. When the space transforms into a “dark room” it conjures up the core and magic of photography again and again. That is when I feel most acutely that I am working with light.
In her Interior/Exterior projects she converts rooms in to camera obscure by covering the window and then capturing the image of a person and that person’s room and the inverted view from the window.
The Bigger Picture 