Abelardo Morell – Camera obscura’s modern master

(c) ABELARDO MORELL, Boston

Perhaps the leading proponent of modern camera obscura is the Cuban-born photographer Abelardo Morell. He created his first images with the method in his own living room back in 1991. Since then, he’s used it in many successful projects, including his Two Views of Philadelphia exhibition that recently closed at the city’s Fabric Workshop and Museum.

How does camera obscura work?

If you are not familiar with camera obscura, it is the precursor to modern photography.  Camera works by drawing light through a pinhole into a dark chamber or room. Typically a mirror is used to reflect the light onto a flat surface such as a wall.

Morell uses a prism to turn the image that comes through the right way up and then uses a large-format camera to capture the picture. In the early days this work took around five to ten hours to complete and was in black and white, but Morell now uses a full colour digital sensor that has reduced the exposure time down to just a few minutes.

For Morell, camera obcura is the ability to turn an entire room into a camera. Since his first project 23 years ago, he has used the method across the world. His 2010 collection of images from the American West are some of his most popular.

Landmarks with light

For the project, he created a portable tent with a periscope lens that projected the light in front of famous sights onto the ground, rather than a surface at the back of the tent. The results were quite spectacular, with one showing San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge against a sandy backdrop featuring grass and shrubs.

Tent camera

The photograph of the bridge was included in his ‘The Universe Next Door’ collection that has premiered at a number of galleries in the past 12 months. It has also recently been published in a book of the same name, including more than 100 of his previous creations, each telling their own unique story.

Latest projects

One of his most recent works is entitled ‘View of Philadelphia from Loews Hotel Room #3013 with Upside Down Bed’. And it’s exactly what the title describes. Created while his collection was being showcased in Philadelphia, the work shows the city’s bleak yet beautiful skyline against a backdrop of an upside down hotel room.

(c) ABELARDO MORELL

Morell says his intention is to change the way that people view the world around them. We certainly think he’s achieving his goal. Morell’s images really have to be seen to be believed, as they expertly blend the bleak beauty of urban landscapes with surreal dreamscapes.