Holga!!

After far too long my Holga arrived today and just in time to take it to Chicago with me. *smiles*
I spent the last couple of weeks telling my friends and family all about the latest and greatest addition to my camera equipment... they were all interested in what expensive and nice camera I was adding next, only to be rather disappointed and confused when I showed them a picture of the all plastic $20 holga! *Smiles*
I can't wait to try it out!

during our NYC Gathering. Megan has some really nice Holga's. She certainly has a great collection of different cameras. She also brought a pinhole with her.

Is this your first? Have you ever used one before?

Don't forget to post some of your pics here.

Liz

Quote:

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Originally Posted by darkrainfall

After far too long my Holga arrived today and just in time to take it to Chicago with me. *smiles*
I spent the last couple of weeks telling my friends and family all about the latest and greatest addition to my camera equipment... they were all interested in what expensive and nice camera I was adding next, only to be rather disappointed and confused when I showed them a picture of the all plastic $20 holga! *Smiles*
I can't wait to try it out!

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I love doing that to people, showing them photos that I have taken and then showing them the camera I did it with, and they say. You took that photo with "that camera"?
Can't wait to see some of your stuff!
Makes ure to post them in the Critique Gallery!
Brian

Forgive my ignorance, but what the heck is a Holga?

Holga's are considered "toy cameras", quite a few of us shoot with them, myself and Megan to name two..
I have quite a bit of Holga images on my site.
You can check out, www.holgamods.com to see a pic of one..
Brian
Holgas Rock!

Absolutley amazing... I'd 've never thunk those pics came out of a $20 camera. (referring to their gallery, of course)

Liz,
This is my first one and I'm so excited about it! It is something that will be relaxing for me to take pics with and I love the little quirks that it has. My friends all think I've completely lost my mind but I hope to wow them with the pics from my little plastic camera. *Smiles*

Brian,
I will most definitely post the images in the critique gallery, especially ones I take from going to Chicago this weekend.

bmadau,
Now that you know what it is, you should try one out... I mean, if you are going to have a random camera there is nothing better than a $20 Holga. It's cheap and if you don't use it all the time, than it's not a big deal because you didn't spend hundreds or thousands on it.

I've been checking into Holgas on Ebay. I've never used one myself, but another member of my camera club demonstrated one. It looks fun.

Post some of your Holga Photos!


Kathy

Darn, this coffee is good. I've been posting a lot of all caps today.
One of the Holga quirks is that it uses 120 film - so there's more surface area on the neg.
They can leak light, the film has no tension control, you can double expose at will [or by mistake - yipes] so the Holga is a trip. If you're ever feeling that your work is getting stale, pick up a Holga and have some fun. If nothing else, it will frustrate you, make you mad, but in the end, you'll look at things a little different.

Megan
my Holga work here:
http://www.planet-megan.com

I don't know what tips they included in your package, so I'm gonna post them here for the maximum Holga experience:

-- Remove and toss "chassis" ["chassee?" That thing that makes the images rectangular] for optimal vignetting, distortion, and a square image.

-- Buy a big roll of black darkroom tape - 3/4" or 1" wide, whatever is easiest to find. I find the black darkroom tape works SO much better than black masking tape. Black masking tape is *impossible* to get off the roll without it splitting down the middle, not coming up off the roll, generally at THE MOST inopportune times. Chant with me now: "I love the Holga, I LOVE the Holga...."

-- If you didn't buy the Holga with the flash, make sure to take some small pieces of that black darkroom tape and tape over two little holes at the top of the inside. That will hopefully limit a truly heinous light leak that plague some otherwise gorgeous images I took. In Asia. Where I'll probably not be able to afford to ever go again. Mantra: "I love the Holga... I LOVE the Holga...."

-- Take said black darkroom tape with you everywhere. Create a flap over the amber frame indicator. It can and will leak light at most inopportune times.* Tape all along the edge of the removable cover. See *. Sing it with me now...

-- Sunlight is the best light. Holga doesn't like taking pictures after dark, they won't come out. Use a flash.

-- Overdevelop by 30 seconds, if at all possible.

-- Don't forget to take off the lens cap. Heh.

-- I highly recommend purchasing a small changing bag. Since there's no tension, the film may not wind up tight, and you'll take it out and get all sorts of light leaks, negating all of your black tape efforts.

Have fun!
Megan

Sounds like you LOVE the Holga! :)

I take a lot of pics. And it only has 12 frames. So I use two - and it can get aggravating juggling them and changing the film... like in the middle of a tour of St. Louis #1 and both cameras run out at the same time and you see a shot and the tourguide is moving to the next spot and you don't wanna get mugged but you gotta get that shot and 5 minutes of tape and changing and juggling with only 2 hands are between you and that shot......

Sometimes you just need a mantra to remind you that you love it. Or convince yourself that you love it during those inopportune times. I'm using my Diana that does 16 shots much more these days.

220 film unfortunately can't be used in the Holga because the paper backing doesn't extend throughout the whole roll. :mad: Again, I found out the hard way.

Megan

So, I just returned from chicago and the verdict... I love my Holga. I was sitting in a pizza shop and I had both my holga and my nikon d100.... a guy walked by and noticed the d100 and stopped to talk and was surprised that I had a holga too... it was great *smile* He was as impressed by the holga as he was by the nikon. The holga was so much fun to use too... no pressure about the settings or the focus or anything... I just focused on the elements in the pic... it was a nice break and Kevin liked carrying around the nikon because it made him look "professional" *smiles*

And if you tape the holes on the holga, than does it matter if the paper backing on the 220 doesn't go all the way through the roll?

Oh and Megan... you won't get mugged in St. Louis... *smile* It's not that bad... honest... it's East St. Louis that's scary.

[QUOTE=darkrainfallAnd if you tape the holes on the holga, than does it matter if the paper backing on the 220 doesn't go all the way through the roll?

[/QUOTE]

Hmmm... well - no, but then you have to guess where one frame ends and one begins. If you're shooting straight that is!

Megan