The Holga

I only started shooting digitally about two years ago and I think my heart is still with film. There is definitely an advantage to digital: the immediate nature of it, the shooting info as a learning tool, the ease of processing (although not the post-production time which is grueling), and the ease of sharing the work. But, there is still something about shooting film and getting a proper traditional print that I am drawn to emotionally and creatively. Recently I pulled out my Holga and decided it should go with me where I go because it is so light and indestructible. For those of you unfamiliar with it, it's considered a toy camera. It is made of plastic, it takes 120 film which makes it medium format, the negatives are square, the shots are vignetted in the corners, and it has the following options for controlling the shot: close, further, a bit further, pretty far and then a little symbol showing a mountain which I would then categorize as really far. Oh, and you can double expose by not advancing the film. But, because it is plastic there are light leaks. So, my holga, like most, is taped up within an inch of its life. I used to have a lot of problems with light leaks, but after I read Michelle Bates' book called PLASTIC CAMERAS: TOYING WITH CREATIVITY, I think I finally got it taped correctly! Of course, you can still get light leaks when you lift your tape flap to see the numbers of the film as you are advancing. I suspect that is what happened to the second shot below which is most obvious by the lower right and left hand corners:



There are some photographers out there who really create gorgeous art with them, so the idea of it being categorized as a toy camera is almost an insult. But, it IS a fun camera, so give it a try....