Camera Obscura

Second day in Bristol and the opportunity to explore a bit. I went up to see the Clifton Suspension Bridge and then, after walking across the bridge and back, went up to the Clifton Observatory. Two attractions for the price of one. Underground a steep set of steps lead down through a series of tunnels through the rock to a cave that looks out over the gorge. Above ground, at the top of the tower a small, dark room contains a camera obscura. There seemed much less fuss about it than at the Edinburgh one and you were left to your own devices. A couple of people were just leaving when I got there so I was in on my own, turning the handle that hangs down from the ceiling to change the reflected view displayed on the viewing table. Probably it would have been more distinct in yesterday's bright sunshine but it was still pretty clear once your eyes adjusted to the dark, even if it did need a really high ISO to capture it! And further resonance as I had just been speaking to a photographer on the bridge who was taking a picture with a pinhole camera. We had a very interesting discussion about the pictures he takes with the camera, which he'd ordered online, using the same optical principles at work in getting the camera obscura image onto the viewing table.