Michael Golembewski’s Scanner Camera project explores how digital photography can create new types of images and become an art form in its own right.

A camera works by focusing light through a lens, and projecting an image onto a surface. Golembewski’s cameras are similar to homemade cameras, but instead of using film or photographic paper to record the projected image, he substituted a low-end flatbed scanner. By connecting the scanner to a laptop and clicking on the scan button, the projected image is captured and converted into a digital format that provides surprising insights into the ways that forms, motion, and time are translated from the real world to a 2D image.

The next steps of his research are to build “DIY Scanner Camera Kits” which will allow any photographer or enthusiast to build their own scanner camera for under £60. A professional quality scanner camera will also be prototyped which will allow for the capture of very large image files, providing motion distortion effects.