Lumina (Latin plural of “light”) speaks to the rays you capture.

Obscura (Latin for “dark, hidden”) points to the dark chamber or process that makes the image visible.

Together, they describe the very essence of this century-old craft: you capture beams of light into a dark box to reveal something unexpected. It is a mobile darkroom that revives the early tradition of street box photography. Using a handmade wooden camera and photo paper, we create timeless black-and-white portraits developed on the spot.

A street box camera is a portable darkroom housed in a wooden box. It uses photographic paper instead of film. When the shutter is released, the paper inside is exposed to light through a lens, creating a paper negative. A positive image is produced by re-photographing the paper negative onto another sheet of paper, turning it into a positive print. All this is processed entirely within the box using traditional photo chemicals.

A street box camera was first popular with traveling photographers at fairs and seaside promenades in the late 1800s. These portable studios made portraiture immediate and intimate.

Yes and no. While the photographic technique this camera uses dates back over a hundred years, all the materials that make up this camera are new and carefully assembled by hand. The camera was built by me in Bangkok using materials and parts from Instant Box Camera, a street box camera kit designed by Austrian photographer Lukas Birk.

No. We use light-sensitive photo paper inside the camera instead of film. The first image is a paper negative, which is then used to create a paper positive print. It’s all analog and developed immediately on-site within the camera.

We offer traditional analog portrait experiences using a century old photography technique. In each session, you will get one negative print and one positive print of your portrait, a paper frame, and an option to customize the frame with wax seals, stickers, and name tags. We are currently planning to bring our camera and set up pop-up portrait booths at fairs and events around Bangkok.

A typical portrait session (setting up, shooting, developing, and drying) takes between 10-15 minutes.

Only if your original paper negative is still in tact! Since we work with paper negatives, they function like film and cannot be reprinted if lost or destroyed. A new portrait session would be required. Please handle your prints with care and store them safely.

Yes. Although the entire process is analog, the paper negative can be scanned—even with a phone—and digitally inverted into a positive image. If you'd like a digital version of your portrait, we can send it to you free of charge upon request.

The camera is best suited for solo portraits, though two-person shots may be possible if space and lighting allow.

While the technique is often called instant photography, it’s instant only by the standards of over a hundred years ago. Each portrait still requires a few deliberate steps: composing, focusing, exposing the image, and then developing it by hand inside the camera box.

The exposure itself could take more a few seconds, so subjects need to remain very still—even slight movements can cause blur. For this reason, fidgety pets and small children may not be ideal subjects, unless they’re able to stay calm and still during the process.

We do not currently offer private bookings—but we’re always open to discussing creative ideas or special arrangements. If you have something in mind, feel free to reach out.

We’re currently planning pop-ups around Bangkok. Keep checking this page for updated. You can also follow us on Instagram at @atelier.lumina.obscura or add us on LINE.

You can read about what we do, how we do it, and what the limitations are in our Terms of Service.