Wouldn't it be great if someone created a cheap, plastic, crappy toy camera?
Well, someone in Hong Kong did during the 1980's. She is called the Holga and has made it a long way from the toy store to being a photo fetish item. Originally intended as a tourist item due to its cheap construction, the Holga (excluding a few moving metal parts in it's guts; springs, etc.) is completely plastic. Yes, that means the lens too. It's known for the awesome vignetted images it produces in a square format.
Another great feature of the Holga is that it's a medium format camera. That's right, 120mm film. It's shotty construction also allows for unexpected results like light leaks. Many Holga users will modify their cameras to take long exposure only shots, tape them up to prevent light leaks, or even turn them into 35mm shooting machines. It's a great tool for cross processing films, too. The Holga does not force it's user to automatically advance after taking a shot, meaning it's great for multiple exposures on a frame. My personal Holga is a 120CFN, and has a built in flash with 4 different colored gels (RBYW).
Although it is simply made, the Holga is very difficult to master and requires a lot of experimentation to be a pro. But remember, nothing is better than the suspense between dropping off film and picking it up a couple days later when you have the payoff of crazy imagery from your hours of experimentation.
Enough of the formality. This blog is to show off the great (and sometimes comically bad) images I get from my Holga.
