An upside down view of the world

...Finally I am posting on the trip to view the camera obscura. I really don't have much to say other than I was rather surprised by it. I had never seen a camera obscura before, other than simple pictures found on the internet and in various classes. I was rather stunned by how clear the picture/image was, I was expecting something nowhere near as clear or vivid, I was also expecting something a little bigger, but I assume there are limitations to this art form that I hadn't thought of at first. I thought that the other images/video that were presented in his (I forget his name at the moment) presentation were even more captivating. The idea of projecting the images onto the inside ceiling of a structure is pretty cool, and if I think it would be a cool idea for a permanent installation. My only question that came to mind during the visit (which he kind of addresses and answered) is "why camera obscuras?" Of all the possible forms of expression, why would one go through the trouble to mess with an ancient form of projection? I am not criticizing his choice, but it must be a very difficult form to utilize, there are so many external factors and forces that are out of your control (weather, lenses, position/ location), not to mention that this must be a bit of an under appreciated art form, it must be frustrating. But then again it also must be rather satisfying when all those factors come together to create a beautiful image. All in all it was cool, for awhile.