2.  Mark W. Decker, an enthusiastic photographer,
enjoys learning about how the art of
photography developed. To that end, Mark W.
Decker has developed a familiarity with the
science of one of the world's first image
capture tools, the camera obscura.
The camera obscura in its most basic form
dates back to ancient times. Chinese
philosopher Mo-Ti, alive during the fifth century
BCE, described the creation of an inverted
image in a darkened room via light through a
pinhole opening.

3.  The Greek philosopher Aristotle observed this
phenomenon in the natural world, and Islamic scholar-
scientist Alhazen around 1000 CE experimented with the
same concept using lantern light.
In all three cases, the inverted image occurs because rays
of light cross one another when passing through a very
small hole, thus causing the opposite wall to show an
upside-down version of the scene outside. In the 16th
century, scientists and artists began using convex lenses
and mirrors to adjust where the image would appear, thus
advancing the technology. The camera obscura became
popular as an aid to drawers and painters, while full-size
camera obscura rooms flourished as a form of public
entertainment.