I made my first picture using camera obscura techniques in my darkened living room in 1991. In setting up a room to make this kind of photograph, I cover all windows with black plastic in order to achieve total darkness. Then, I cut a small hole in the material I use to cover the windows. This opening allows an inverted image of the view outside to flood onto the back walls of the room. Typically then I focused my large-format camera on the incoming image on the wall then make a camera exposure on film. In the beginning, exposures took from five to ten hours.
Over time, this project has taken me from my living room to all sorts of interiors around the world. One of the satisfactions I get from making this imagery comes from my seeing the weird and yet natural marriage of the inside and outside.
Several years ago, in order to push the visual potential of this process, I began to use color film and positioned a lens over the hole in the window plastic in order to add to the overall sharpness and brightness of the incoming image. Now, I often use a prism to make the projection come in right side up. I have also been able to shorten my exposures considerably thanks to digital technology, which in turn makes it possible to capture more momentary light. I love the increased sense of reality that the outdoor has in these new works .The marriage of the outside and the inside is now made up of more equal partners.
Camera Obscura: Houses Across the Street in Our Living Room, 1991
Camera Obscura: Houses Across the Street in Our Bedroom, Quincy, Massachusetts, 1991
Camera Obscura: View in Brady’s Room, 1991
Camera Obscura: The Sea in Attic, 1994
Camera Obscura: The Empire State Building in Bedroom, 1994
Camera Obscura: Manhattan View Looking West in Empty Room, 1996
Camera Obscura: Manhattan View Looking South in Large Room, 1996
Camera Obscura: Times Square in Hotel Room, 1997
Camera Obscura: The Grand Tetons in Resort Room, 1997
Camera Obscura: Boston View Looking Southeast in Conference Room, 1998
Camera Obscura: Boston’s Old Customs House in Hotel Room, 1999
Camera Obscura: Chrysler Building in Hotel Room, 1999
Camera Obscura: The Brooklyn Bridge in Bedroom, 1999
Camera Obscura: View of Eiffel Tower in the Hotel Frantour, 1999
Camera Obscura: Paris in the Hotel Arley Tour Eiffel, 1999
Camera Obscura: The Pantheon in the Hotel Des Grands Hommes, 1999
Camera Obscura: Tree in Bathroom, 1999
Camera Obscura: Santa Croce in Office, 2000
Camera Obscura: Tuscan Landscape in Large Bedroom, 2000
Camera Obscura: Umbrian Landscape in Empty Room, 2000
Camera Obscura: Umbrian Landscape Over Bed, 2000
Camera Obscura: Castle Courtyard in Bedroom, 2000
Camera Obscura: View of St. Louis Looking East in Building under Construction, 2000
Camera Obscura: Grain Silos in Hotel Room, 2000
Camera Obscura: The Tower Bridge in the Tower Hotel, London, UK, 2001
Camera Obscura: The London Eye inside the Royal Horseguards Hotel, 2001
Camera Obscura: The Florence Baptistry in Hotel Room, 2001
Camera Obscura: La Giraldilla de la Habana in Room With Broken Wall, 2002
Camera Obscura: El Vedado, Havana, Looking Northwest, 2002
Camera Obscura: Havana Looking Southeast in Room with Ladder, 2002
Camera Obscura: San Francisco View Looking East, 2002
Camera Obscura: Mill Alley in Room with Desk, Lawrence, MA, 2002
Camera Obscura: The Cloisters, Lacock Abbey, England, March 13, 2003
Camera Obscura: Courtyard Building, Lacock Abbey, England, March 16, 2003
Camera Obscura: Windows in Gallery With Two Paintings, Whitney Museum, 2003
Camera Obscura: Windows in Gallery with Hopper Painting, Whitney Museum, 2003
Camera Obscura: The Philadelphia Museum of Art East Entrance in Gallery #171 with a DeChirico Painting, 2005
Camera Obscura: The Philadelphia Museum of Art East Entrance in Gallery #171 with a DeCherico Painting, 2005
Camera Obscura: Santa Maria della Salute in Palazzo Bedroom, Venice, Italy, 2006
Camera Obscura: Santa Maria della Salute in Palazzo Bedroom, Venice, Italy, 2006
Camera Obscura: The Grand Canal Looking West Toward the Academia Bridge in Palazzo Room Under Construction, 2007
Camera Obscura: The Coliseum Inside Room #23 at the Hotel Gladiatori, Rome, 2007
Upright Camera Obscura: Piazzetta San Marco Looking Southeast in Office, 2007
Upright Camera Obscura: Piazzetta San Marco Looking Southeast in Office, 2007
Camera Obscura: View of Volta Del Canal in Palazzo Room Painted with Jungle Motif, Venice, Italy, 2008
Camera Obscura: The Pantheon in Hotel Albergo Del Sole al Pantheon, Room #111, Rome, Italy, 2008
Camera Obscura: View of Central Park Looking North – Fall, 2008
Camera Obscura: View of Central Park Looking North – Winter, 2013
Camera Obscura: View of Central Park Looking North – Spring, 2010
Camera Obscura: View of Central Park Looking North – Summer, 2008
Camera Obscura: 5:04 am Sunrise Over the Atlantic Ocean. Rockport, Massachusetts, June 17th, 2009
Camera Obscura: Afternoon Light On the Atlantic Ocean. Rockport, Massachusetts, June 17th, 2009
Camera Obscura: Afternoon Light on the Pacific Ocean, Brookings, Oregon, July 13th, 2009
Camera Obscura: View of The Brooklyn Bridge in Bedroom, 2009
Camera Obscura: View Outside Florence with Bookcase, 2009
Camera Obscura: Garden with Olive Tree Inside Room with Plants, Outside Florence, Italy, 2009
Camera Obscura: View of Landscape Where Galileo Died in Exile, 2009
Camera Obscura: View of Landscape Outside of Florence in Room with Bookcase, Italy, 2009
Camera Obscura: View of the Roman Forum in City Hall Office, 2010
CAMERA OBSCURA: SIDE VIEW OF THE FLORENCE DUOMO INSIDE GRAND DUOMO HOTEL, 2010
Camera Obscura: Times Square in Hotel Room, 2010
Camera Obscura: View of the Manhattan Bridge-April 30th / Morning, 2010
Camera Obscura: View of the Manhattan Bridge-April 30th / Afternoon, 2010
Camera Obscura: View of the Manhattan Bridge-April 30th / Evening, 2010
Camera Obscura: View of The Highline From 23rd Street Looking North in Room with Books, 2011
Camera Obscura: View of the San Francisco Bay Bridge Inside a Pier 24 Interior, 2012
Camera Obscura: View of Atlanta Looking South Down Peachtree Street in Hotel Room, 2013
CAMERA OBSCURA: VIEW OF MIDTOWN ATLANTA LOOKING SOUTH TOWARD DOWNTOWN, 2013
Camera Obscura: View of Midtown Atlanta Looking East Toward The King And Spalding Building, 2013
Camera Obscura: View of Midtown Atlanta Looking South in Conference Room, 2013
Camera Obscura: View of Toledo in Hotel Room, Toledo, Spain, 2013
Camera Obscura: View of Trees in Lucinda Bunnen’s Bedroom, 2013
Camera Obscura: Early Morning View of the East Side of Midtown Manhattan, New York, 2014
Camera Obscura: Late Afternoon View of the East Side of Midtown Manhattan, New York, 2014
Camera Obscura: View of El Vedado Looking North Havana, Cuba, 2014
Camera Obscura- View of Valle de Viñales, Pinar Del Rio, Cuba 2014
Camera Obscura- View of the Hotel Nacional, Havana, Cuba, 2014
Camera Obscura: View of Havana Looking East, 2014
Camera Obscura: View of Lake Michigan in Room, Chicago, IL, 2014
Camera Obscura- View of Philadelphia From Loews Hotel Room 3013 With Upside Down Bed, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2014
Camera Obscura: Night View of Philadelphia From Loews Hotel Room, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2014
Camera Obscura: View of Manhattan and the Chrysler Building Looking West, New York, 2015
Camera Obscura: View of Saint Lazare Train Station, Paris, France, 2015
Camera Obscura: View of Hotel de Ville, Paris, France, 2015
Camera Obscura: View of Paris Looking Towards Montmartre, Paris, France, 2015
Camera Obscura: The Eiffel Tower on Curtains, Paris, France, 2016
Camera Obscura: Les Invalides On Curtains, Paris, France, 2016
Camera Obscura: Rouen Cathedral in Uninhabited Room, 11 a.m., Rouen, France, 2016
Camera Obscura: Rouen Cathedral in Uninhabited Room, 2 p.m., Rouen, France, 2016
Camera Obscura: Rouen Cathedral in Uninhabited Room, 5 p.m., Rouen, France, 2016.
Camera Obscura: View of the Florence Duomo in Tuscany President’s Office in Palazzo Strozzi. Sacrati, Italy, 2017
Camera Obscura: View of the Florence Duomo inside big Room with Paintings On Wall at the Palazzo Strozzi. Sacrati, Italy, 2017
Camera Obscura: View of Florence From Hotel Excelsior. Italy, 2017
Camera Obscura: View of Villa Entrance in Blue Gallery. Villa la Pietra, Florence, Italy, 2017
Camera Obscura: View of Tree in Office with Painting. Villa La Pietra, Florence, Italy, 2017
Camera Obscura: View Towards Florence in Camera dei Genitori. Villa La Pietra, Italy, 2017
Camera Obscura: View of Rear Gardens in Studiolo Library. Villa La Pietra, Florence, Italy, 2017
Camera Obscura: View of Gardens on Folding Screen. Villa La Pietra, Florence, Italy, 2017
Camera Obscura: View of the Empire State Building in the Afternoon, Looking North. 2018
Camera Obscura: View of Central Park Looking South in Room with Toys. Summer, 2018
Camera Obscura: View of Central Park Looking West in Bedroom. Winter, 2019
Camera Obscura: View of Central Park Looking West in Bedroom. Spring, 2019
Camera Obscura: View of Central Park Looking West in Bedroom. Summer, 2018
Camera Obscura: View of Central Park Looking North – Spring, 2019
Camera Obscura: View of Manhattan from Financial District – Late Afternoon, 2019
Camera Obscura: View of Manhattan from Financial District – Early Evening, 2019