I think it can be healthy to take a break from the idea that we somehow have complete control over the images we create. I put a Holga on my Christmas list because I thought it might be somehow fun to roam the city on a sunny day with the camera loaded up with ISO 100 black and white film and take the technical processes out of the mix and go out with the intention of a pure seeing adventure. Freed up from thinking about focus and exposure (and to a certain extent, even composition) my mind might concentrate solely on finding subjects that it wants me to photograph. It may be that "no control" has attributes that are as valid as "total control", which itself is an illusion...
Besides, a medium format camera for $29?
Besides, a medium format camera for $29?
22 comments:
I seriously almost bought hat new 6x12 Belair folder. I had my finger on the button. I wound up buying the iPad Mini instead.
You'll be bitten by this bug and then you'll have to upgrade. Fortunately the upgrade (Holga 120GN) is only $50 and it amounts to a glass "optical lens". Fancy.
I've been a Holga user (Holgagrapher?) for several years now; I bet you'll soon sell off all your usless gear and will shoot everything with your Holga. :-) Seriously, the Holga is a blast to use as long as you keep that price in mind when you view the results. But do yourself a favor and use 400 speed B&W film -- that lens is seriously slow and needs all the help it can get. I process my film in Diafine (3 minutes in each solution) and get great results. Good luck.
It's funwith a strobe, too. I usually meter it at 1/60th f/11. http://www.flickr.com/photos/clack/6723600183/in/photostream
Steve, it's so funny to see your comment as I just pulled my wife out into the studio to see the video (narrated by Alan Watts) that you recommended on FaceBook. My kid (trying to decide on colleges) loved it. Thanks for both posts.
I loves me some Holga Action! They're all over my blog. I have more than I want to say here, but, I just got the yellow and grey for $25 each from your link. They're going to be shelf queens. Much like the Japanese Leica collectors that never even break the tape on the boxes!
Randy at Holgamods.com is a Holga wizard, and I'd definitely recommend getting them from him. Very cool guy too! He's on FB too as Randy Holgamods Smith.
WOW! I never before noticed that the new Holgas come equipped with "Optical" lenses! I was going to make some snide comment, but now I'm just flat-out impressed.
Good for you! I applaud your open-mindedness in trying the Holga. It's not for everyone but sometimes you need to strip away the technical nonsense and remember the joy of photography. I've been really enjoying the combo of a holga lens on my image-stabilized OM-D. Ridiculous? Probably, but I'm having too much fun to care.
"Complete control on completely nothing." I agree.
Is this one of the later models where the sunny/cloudy switch actually works?
In a masterpiece of design, the little arm that brings in the smaller hole for the 'Sunny' setting is placed behind a plate which has an even smaller hole in it.
I gather that got fixed in later models, which at least gave you a bit of control even if it's only 'Sunny/Cloudy'!
Love it. It's really funny, as my wife "caught" me looking at Holgas the other day - "are you shopping for another camera???" ... yes, dear.
The good news is your LED panels work with every Holga.
The LED panels are "Universally Dedicated" to every camera.. :-)
Just try a Rollei 35SE. You will probably get addicted to it. I am.
Just picked up a secondhand bronica sqa. Really looking forward to seeing what I can get out of it. My first experiment with medium format.
Had a 3.5 Rollei, an "S" and an "SE". Been there, got the t-shirt and I'm not going back.
It's really fun to use a holga for experimenting with long exposures in low light (hand held as well as tripod mounted), multiple exposures, "in camera" panoramic shots (by not turning all the way to the next frame), different films, cross processing, mistakes (happy accidents) and probably other stuff I haven't thought of. It's funny, I thought I would really be able to experiment once I got into digital photography, which I have, but I feel like my holga has opened up my mind and heart much more to experimenting and inspiration than anything else. Go crazy!
My Xmas photo present to myself this year was a matching set of aluminum gallery frames and mats. If you want to be an artist, make art. This means matted prints in frames, on a wall, preferably with good lighting. It's not art until it is on a wall, in your living room or hallway for example. Try it -- you'll see what I mean. This is far more inspirational to me than any photo gear. Change the prints every three months. Best $300 you ever spent. I suggest the Framatic Fineline series for a good balance between quality and price. Good discounts at misterart.com.
The difference between Ireland and Texas? Here we load 400iso film into our Holgas for a 'sunny' day ...!
Yellow? Great !
robert
PS: careful: Holga shooting can easily become addictive :-)
Decided to try the whole Holga and pinhole thing several years ago. I couldn't get into it. Neither practice worked for me. The Holga pictures weren't soft and crappy enough...the pinhole pictures were totally soft and crappy. I could do better looking funky pictures in the darkroom by kicking the enlarger during exposure through a layer of nylon panty hose.
I do have a very pretty wooden pinhole camera left over from the experiment. It looks real nice displayed on a shelf in the den.
two letters XA tiniest rf ever
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