Another Holga
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Artyczar
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I've just been reading up on Holgas. They sound problematic: I think I want one
This!
I came across them a few days ago when I went off googling film photography stuff thanks to Terri's bad influence. You're really not helping, Arty. Love the great, unexpectedly blue result - and I really like the two other shots from the roll. I think I might have to stay out of this forum, lest I somehow accidentally acquire a darkroom when I'm not looking.
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The eye can't estimate accurately the spectral content of the light. It is able to "correct" it in order to get a better perception of the visual information. The film doesn't make such adjustments. Shadows are usually more turned to the blue. I remember that this was very pronounced with Ektachrome positive (slide) film. This was very obvious in mixed frames, with some parts directly lit by the sunlight and other parts (shadows) indirectly lit by the sky. The shadows looked more bluish than the highlights. On the other hand, some other positive films like Kodachrome, Fujichrome or Agfachrome didn't react this manner, they used to give more neutral shadows. That's why I used to prefer those emulsions over Ektachrome.
As for the Holga, I discovered this "culture" in the last decade or so in various photography-related sites and blogs. I know there is an entire vision in the artistic culture, that is named "Lo Fi" for low fidelity, as opposed to the High fidelity. Instead of looking for the technical perfection, the perfect focusing, the best light metering, use of highly corrected lens or high resolution films (or the equivalent digital), one looks just on the subject. Holga is a camera with no shutter speed controls (one or two speeds only in some models, medium and low). Its lens is rather wide angled, low cost with big aberrations, with a "vignette" effect to the corners, because it can't cover the entire frame. That's why the central circular region of the frame is better than the remaining frame parts that are less exposed and gradually out of focus. The lens aperture is quite small to obtain a big focusing depth. You don't have to (and you can't) make any adjustments other than selecting the frame and shooting. Some models can be connected to a flashlight, for interior or night shootings. This gives a special flat character to the prints, that is similar to a documentary photo rather than the legacy artistic studio photos.
This Holga culture was/is so powerful that there is special software for digital processing for computers and mobile phones that imitates the Holga effect.
I never owned or used a Holga, nevertheless I'd like to try such a camera. Perhaps the only one that was somehow "similar" was a small plastic photo camera I was given as a child, 50+ years ago. It took a roll film smaller that the 120 format. I don't know exactly what, perhaps something like 127 that was something between 120 and 135. I had no focusing, one shutter speed for sunlight (perhaps another one slower for cloudy weather, I'm not sure), and I had to manually feed the film to the next pose number by looking into the red covered window on the back (somehow like the Lubitel cameras). I was very proud to be able to take photos in excursions! Anyway, I didn't look for LoFi then, I looked for the best I could.
Artyczar
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I do love the lo-Fi thing a lot. I actually have two Holgas and one does a little better than the other, but I use one for B/W and the other for color. I also have another toy camera that is a tiny little Polaroid type thing, but I can't find it for the life of me. It produces little 1.5-inch colored and B/W pictures. I like experimenting with these things.
With the Holgas, it's a matter of how much I tape it up, hold my hand around the lens, etc. I have a kind of toilet paper roll thing I have used to darken the around the lens before. I have a few filters as well. There's ways. I still have some Kodachrome (and Ektachrome--which I prefer because it more blue than red), but...I haven't taken any pictures in a long time.
With the Holgas, it's a matter of how much I tape it up, hold my hand around the lens, etc. I have a kind of toilet paper roll thing I have used to darken the around the lens before. I have a few filters as well. There's ways. I still have some Kodachrome (and Ektachrome--which I prefer because it more blue than red), but...I haven't taken any pictures in a long time.
What am I afraid of? Controlling liquid. The next is colors for values. I think I'm going to hide all of my pencils and pens and if I want to draw something , it HAS to be with paint. Like a caveman that wants to draw so badly he will use anything to get that image on that cave wall, right?
