Camera Obscura & Holograph Collection

A walk-in working camera obscura produces 360-degree live images of the San Francisco coast. This tiny museum also known as the ‘Giant Camera’ is on the grounds of the historic Cliff House and features a working camera obscura, which reflects images of the beach front outside. It also houses a small collection of holograms. The technique is simple: a darkened room, box, or tent is fixed with a small opening to allow in light. As in a pinhole camera, an image of objects opposite the opening is projected upside-down onto the surface opposite. A lens is used to right the image.