By their nature, pictures from the Holga 120S are "flawed" by modern photography standards. This Holga 120S gallery represents a step into the realm of medium-format photography. I was still quite a beginner at photography in the summer of 2005, when I shot these. However, I do count making photos with the Holga as one of my most important photographic experiences, and I think that everyone who wants to pursue the craft (as fun hobby or serious aspiring pro) should give themselves a chance with this camera. The images are one-of-a-kind and have a character all their own.
These cameras are cheap and accessible for those who want to try out medium-format photography. The only real rub was the cost of developing the prints. It cost $60-70 to develop and print a roll of 12 exposures.
I shot some colour photos and some black & white. In my personal opinion, the black & whites are the best ones. These pictures came straight from prints on the scanner bed to the screen. Due to the "flawed" and unique character of the images, many would consider it heresy to attempt to digitally fix/alter the images in Photoshop. It misses the point of shooting with one of these cameras, which is to have fun and understand that there is an element of unpredictability with the images this camera yields.
These cameras are cheap and accessible for those who want to try out medium-format photography. The only real rub was the cost of developing the prints. It cost $60-70 to develop and print a roll of 12 exposures.
I shot some colour photos and some black & white. In my personal opinion, the black & whites are the best ones. These pictures came straight from prints on the scanner bed to the screen. Due to the "flawed" and unique character of the images, many would consider it heresy to attempt to digitally fix/alter the images in Photoshop. It misses the point of shooting with one of these cameras, which is to have fun and understand that there is an element of unpredictability with the images this camera yields.
This is the other camera that I've shot with alongside the Nikon. The Holga is a medium-format camera which uses 120 film. In stark contrast to the Nikon, this camera offers almost no control...there is an aperture lever with f/8 and f/11 stops and a focus ring, but no through-the-lens focusing. Therefore, one must estimate distance to the subject, focus using icons on the lens barrel which map roughly to 3 ft., 9 ft, 18 ft., and 30 ft. to infinity. Then simply press the shutter release lever (1/100 sec.) and advance to the next exposure manually. Furthermore, the lens is made of plastic, as is almost every other part of the camera. Some consider this a carnival toy camera, others see it as a tool for producing fine art. Because of the manual film advancing, it is possible to (accidently or deliberately) double-expose a photo, and it's even possible to produce a panoramic effect.
As a result of the cheap construction and relative lack of quality control, light leaks abound, and no two cameras have the same optical characteristics. People are known to seal these up with black gaffer tape to seal out light leaks, and others just let them in.
There is a legendary cult status around these cameras. The pictures are typically vignetted, soft, often out of focus, and show signs of light leakage. The results are often ethereal and dreamy looking, with the center in some degree of focus and more blurry towards the edges. In the right hands, this thing can produce fine art.
I haven't used this camera in quite a while, as developing the uncommonly used 120 format film is a lot more expensive than a typical roll of 35mm film. It was great for a novelty though.
Of course, I didn't make this picture of my Holga with a Holga camera, but this is the exception.
As a result of the cheap construction and relative lack of quality control, light leaks abound, and no two cameras have the same optical characteristics. People are known to seal these up with black gaffer tape to seal out light leaks, and others just let them in.
There is a legendary cult status around these cameras. The pictures are typically vignetted, soft, often out of focus, and show signs of light leakage. The results are often ethereal and dreamy looking, with the center in some degree of focus and more blurry towards the edges. In the right hands, this thing can produce fine art.
I haven't used this camera in quite a while, as developing the uncommonly used 120 format film is a lot more expensive than a typical roll of 35mm film. It was great for a novelty though.
Of course, I didn't make this picture of my Holga with a Holga camera, but this is the exception.
This is the other camera that I've shot with alongside the Nikon. The Holga is a medium-format camera which uses 120 film. In stark contrast to the Nikon, this camera offers almost no control...there is an aperture lever with f/8 and f/11 stops and a focus ring, but no through-the-lens focusing. Therefore, one must estimate distance to the subject, focus using icons on the lens barrel which map roughly to 3 ft., 9 ft, 18 ft., and 30 ft. to infinity. Then simply press the shutter release lever (1/100 sec.) and advance to the next exposure manually. Furthermore, the lens is made of plastic, as is almost every other part of the camera. Some consider this a carnival toy camera, others see it as a tool for producing fine art. Because of the manual film advancing, it is possible to (accidently or deliberately) double-expose a photo, and it's even possible to produce a panoramic effect.
As a result of the cheap construction and relative lack of quality control, light leaks abound, and no two cameras have the same optical characteristics. People are known to seal these up with black gaffer tape to seal out light leaks, and others just let them in.
There is a legendary cult status around these cameras. The pictures are typically vignetted, soft, often out of focus, and show signs of light leakage. The results are often ethereal and dreamy looking, with the center in some degree of focus and more blurry towards the edges. In the right hands, this thing can produce fine art.
I haven't used this camera in quite a while, as developing the uncommonly used 120 format film is a lot more expensive than a typical roll of 35mm film. It was great for a novelty though.
Of course, I didn't make this picture of my Holga with a Holga camera, but this is the exception.
As a result of the cheap construction and relative lack of quality control, light leaks abound, and no two cameras have the same optical characteristics. People are known to seal these up with black gaffer tape to seal out light leaks, and others just let them in.
There is a legendary cult status around these cameras. The pictures are typically vignetted, soft, often out of focus, and show signs of light leakage. The results are often ethereal and dreamy looking, with the center in some degree of focus and more blurry towards the edges. In the right hands, this thing can produce fine art.
I haven't used this camera in quite a while, as developing the uncommonly used 120 format film is a lot more expensive than a typical roll of 35mm film. It was great for a novelty though.
Of course, I didn't make this picture of my Holga with a Holga camera, but this is the exception.
Camera: Nikon Corporation (Nikon D70) |
More details: exif |
Original size: 2940px x 2000px |
Current: 400px x 272px |
Keywords: holga
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