As the Holga world seems to come out with more and more pre-fabricated versions of the mods we all have enjoyed since we discovered the Holga, my mind constantly wanders back to my Pin-Holga. Now, I must confess, I did not make it myself – though it would not have been too difficult. Due to time constraints, I ordered mine from Randy at Holgamods. He specializes in modifying this already wonderful gem to do things that you could have done yourself … but why make one when someone else is willing to do it for you? Lazy Holga users love Holgamods  

Basically, this is a Holga N model with the lens removed and a brass pinhole plate put in its place. In the mod that I personally have, there is a small piece of velcro that acts as a lens cap, though I know Holgamods now offers much fancier options. I have made my own pinhole cameras over the years, but I never bothered to perfect the art of aperture size to film plane ratio. My most reliable pinhole has always been the Pin-Holga, so when I really want a successful shot, I always bring it along.

I know what you’re thinking… what is the purpose of this article? Well, I just wanted to bring a fresh bit of awareness to this olden style of photography with our Holga twist. Pinhole is a lost art. There are many people out there who are fabulous at it. For example, forgottenpittsburgh on flickr has tested out such odd camera bodies as a sourdough roll and one made entirely of Legos. He has also come out with a book entitled The Pinhole Camera. For more information on Brian’s work, go to http://www.thepinholecamera.com/ (Sorry for omitting the link – technological difficulties).

For those of you who have tried this wonderful photographic form, I know I am preaching to the choir. Pinhole photography is a beautiful way to remind yourself that photography should be more about the eye of the artist than the equipment used. For those of you who have not tried it yet … What are you waiting for? Get out there and give it a try. I guarantee you will not regret it.

As always, never stop experimenting

The first thought I had about the reasons to own an instant camera was to do it as a list. Then I though that the only reasons I could come up with were “well, why not?” “You’d be silly not to get some” and “cause I said”.   So another idea popped into my head. Why not take at least 2 instant cameras out for a few hours and see what it was that I just couldn’t live without.  So while it still might be in list form, it will be, hopefully, a little more insightful than my original thoughts on the subject.

1.) Same scene, different results

I took with me the following: 1 homemade holgaroid, Fuji instax 210, and an unmodified holga (I know, I said instant, but how can I leave my Holga behind, It would be sad.)  I usually like to have a look what I am shooting, but I really didn’t feel like thinking, so I just shot…..alot.  As I was pulling the film from the homemade holgaroid, I realized just how much I love the smell of the instant chemistry….and how sad that really is. Anyway, after a few shots, I went back to the same few spots and shot it again on the Fuji 210.  I was pleasantly surprised how the same style of camera could yield such different results.  With one loaded with black and white, the other with colour, the appeal between the two cameras in the same scene was a lot of fun. Fluctuations between colour, contrast and even composition was and is fun to watch as each camera was used.

2.) You get to see your work instantly

OK, it sounds an awful lot like the original digital ads, doesn’t it? But it’s true.  You take your shot, and with the 210, you get to hear the click and the whirrrrrrrrrr of the shot being ejected from the camera.  With the holgaroid, (did I mention that it is homemade?) it is the idea of shooting from the hip, or not knowing what it is you will get on the image. I know that the instant film isn’t exactly cheap, but it is a ton of fun.  There is something to be said about watching the picture, especially on the Fuji, appearing on the paper in front of you.  No histograms, no RGB, just an instant image. Right there, just the way Edwin Land intended it.

3.) There is way more control than you think!

On a properly modified holgaroid, the bulb mode should still be intact. With this option, you can do long exposures. Seems simple, but it is oh so much fun! I have a habit of gluing adapter rings to the front of my toys and using neutral density and polarizers to change and control the end result. The instant cameras are no exception. Using a polarizer in overcast still has an effect on the picture, using a ND filter slows the shutter down and allows the exposure to be longer than normal.  On the 210 there is, much like their Polaroid predecessors, have a lighten and darken option on them so you can control the contrast in the image.  No matter what the rules say, instant is just as, if not more than, satisfying than digital. You can take 10 shots of the exact same thing, and each one will look different.

4.) The feel…….and the excitement

It seems really simple, but it is true. The feel of the image, whether it is the plastic texture of the instax or the spidery tendrils of expired Polaroid chemistry on the smooth surface of the peel-a-part, the feel of the instant image is unique.  I still feel like there is nothing like watching an image appearing in front of you or peeling apart the film to see how the picture has turned out. Even if the image on the peel-a-part hasn’t quite worked, there is still the fact that you can use it for an emulsion lift later on or as part of another piece of art, and hey, isn’t that what this is all about? Creating art and interrupting the world around us?

5.) And the Most IMPORTANT reason of all:

IT IS FUN!

Oh and I said to, OK?

PS: don’t stop at two. Currently, there are 2 homemade holgaroids, 2 SX70’s, a kind of working Polaroid 360, Diana mini instax and a Fuji 210 Instax Wide in the bag. They all yield different images, looks and results. While instant is an older form of photographic technology, it is the way of future.

www.jimslobodian.com twitter

First off, if you haven’t seen Jim Elson’s 15-minute Holga documentary called “Analogue Daydreams”, do yourself a favour and watch it. (Or see it embedded below.) It’s a great introduction to not just the Holga, but the mindset behind why we use Holgas and toy cameras generally.

For more documentary action, check out this short piece by Sahar Sarshar, and/or the Lomo Documentary that BBC ran a little while back.

And now for something completely different

There are a lot of slideshows out there, and a lot of instructional videos on how to use or hack your Holga, and I recommend searching around a bit for these (don’t worry, they’re easy to find) if you’re interested. For this article, I’ll focus on the more… “eclectic” videos around. You may have seen some or all of these before, in which case – time to get out there and do better?

The first two videos are great examples of capturing a Holga look on video. The first, by Wade Heninger, uses a Holga lens stuck to a Canon EOS 5D body:

The second video here admittedly isn’t a Holga (oh, the shame) but I can’t help posting it as the effect that Richard Koci Hernandez comes up with is so similar to the Holga shots that I love that… well, have a look. Scenes from a Vacation:

(via Multimedia Shooter)

For more examples of a Holga lens on a digital body, have a look at Rico’s video of a Holga lens on a 30D.

Muybridged

I found a couple of videos using Holga shots as animation frames. At first I thought they must have been by the same person, but from what I can tell, each is from a different source.

Alexandre Paschoalini used 150 frames to make his HOLGA MOTION video:

And, to compare apples and oranges, Chaweemek used 7 and a half rolls of film to make his Holga stop-motion animation:

I love the widescreen formatting in these, and the scroll of the film numbers as you walk around. Update: For more Holga stop-motion, have a look at this old article too.

Miscellanea

If you’re working your way through the videos in this post, then here are some random videos to finish off with.

I know I said there are plenty of slideshows going around, but I liked the idea behind Streeteyes by Quinn Ryan Mattingly so much I decided to add it in. Former street kids in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, were given a Holga and a roll of film, took a double-exposure of themselves, and then went off round the streets to finish the film. The results, all in monochrome, paint a great “street portrait”:

Fans of the Mew Mew Holga will be amused to see it being tested on this weird lovable Japanese dog:

And if you’re thinking of organising a Holga exhibition some time soon, why not order the Polka band in sooner, rather than later?

To end where we began, I really enjoyed this documentary by Andrew Laker called The Street with No Name. It’s has some Holga shots in, but is all about how “No Name Street” got its (lack of) name.

That’s all for now. If you know of any more interesting ones, please leave a comment. And if you’ve been inspired and want to shoot a gritty, arthouse style Holgamentary with bullet-time and famous celebrities then… you know where to find us.

Holgablog presents another entry from our previous competition.  Sandy Wijaya takes us through the often harrowing poverty of Indonesia.

Name: Sandy Wijaya

Location: Bandung (West Java), Indonesia.

Website : http://www.flickr.com/photos/saintdevil/

: http://koelitinta.wordpress.com/

Camera: Holga 120GN & Fuji MDL-9 (pocket panoramic camera)

Film: Kodak Ektacolor 160, Kodak T-Max 100, Kodak T-Max 400.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Indonesian Poverty: Through Holga Lens

I was born, grew up and lived in the city of Bandung (capital of West Java province), the city with the famous nickname “Parijs Van Java” since the Dutch colonial era in the early 19th century. You can wonder why Bandung could bear such prestigiuos nickname! in a glimpse, on that era we could see the welfare of the people was well maintained, poor people were hardly to be found. Even if we need to compare between Bandung & Singapore at that time, Bandung has become more civilized and more advanced than Singapore.

Southeast Asia’s financial crisis finnaly struck Indonesia in the late 1997 and quickly turned into a political and economic crisis. This economic crisis situation also provides the impact for the poor living in Indonesia and specifically in Bandung. Poverty level in Bandung immediately increased so sharply above 30% in population, this situation is caused soon after many people have lost their occupation. Many poor people become poorer, and even some of them become a homeless and vagrant.

The approach that I did to dig up more on poverty is through photography with the hope that my photos will touch the hearts of the audience. Because many of us, especially the Indonesians assume that poverty is a matter that is “normal”, nothing special about it. If not us who care, then who will care? When I pressed the shutter, I feel as if that their miseries is my responsibility to promulgate the real situation to public.

Considering the simplicity of Holga, I tried to capture the moment as simple and as honest as I could, Here, 15 pictures of poverty which was taken in Bandung, with the aim to show how severe the poverty is. During my shooting about poverty, I can see that poverty does not recognize the limitation of age; wheter it’s elderly people or children , gender, disability people or not, ethnic, and even religion. Poverty is a merciless plague that spread without forgiveness.

Indonesia is very beautiful by nature and also very rich in natural resources and also people-friendly, but that all should not be a major publication which blown to the outside world. But behind her beauty of nature, richness, and the warmth of Indonesian people, yet they are actually still living in the tribulation, such as poverty which have been portrayed in few photos of mine.

Make poverty history as part of our civilization…!!

Until Sunday 7th March, the British Library in London is showing Points of View, a free exhibition about the origins of photography back in the 19th century. You can view some of the photos from the exhibition on-line, as well as a couple of video clips showing the construction of early negatives.

Be sure to check out both links – but if you can make it, the exhibition is well worth a visit in person too. I went along last weekend and had a great time; something about the very basic nature of the first photographic techniques appealed my love of lo-fi. The exhibition starts out with the portable camera obscura, goes through William Fox Talbot’s invention of the calotype, and the rise of the wet collodion negative which meant pouring liquids all over the place while you were on vacation. Then there are a series of areas looking at different uses for early photography, such as traveling the world, scientific study (including Eadweard Muybridge’s early animations, portraits and even spirit photographs.

What struck me as I wandered around was just how well composed and exposed these photos are (although sometimes the lighting in the rooms makes it difficult to see – hint: take a torch). Considering (or perhaps because) negatives were A4-size, exposure times were at least 30 seconds (in bright sunshine) and film had to be concocted and processed in small tents that the photographer carried with them, there are some gems of images from these early days. Maybe being forced to take your time over a photo really helps the concentration.

One of my favourite portraits on display was this one of Charles Baudelaire by Étienne Carjat around 1862. The moodiness of the frame, combined with pin-sharp eyes, shows just how well a photo almost 150 years old can stand its own against the highly-technological world of today.

I hope to write more about other interesting points I picked out of the exhibition. But in the meantime, if you’re in London and have a spare hour or two, I recommend popping along and seeing how far we’ve come.

(BTW, the image is taken from one on display at the exhibition, which is actually composed of several photos. The full image shows different ways in which photography can be used, from reproducing drawings and other images, to portraits. It also shows early “prints” being exposed in open sunlight, like sheets being left to dry.)

In our continuing effort to post up all entries from our holgablog summer compeitition (seems so long ago now!), here’s another cracker by Stéphane, who travelled to Burkino Faso and discovered an amazing country…

Don’t forget, you can click on the photographs to see a larger ‘on black’ version.

These portraits have something very strong, showing how difficult the life of these children can be, but with in the same time a lot of proud to show themselves as they are in front of the camera. They also have this great innocence in their eyes, and even if they play sometimes the “tough guys”, they’re only children, happy to be taken in picture, perhaps because they have the sensation to exist, feeling that someone can be interested on who they are and wants to take a picture of them.

If photography is a way to stop the time and make a situation or a person immortal, I think that this applies perfectly to these street kids of Burkina Faso. And it’s true that all these faces are now, in a way, immortal, being for me a strong remembrance of this travel and revealing something universal on what a child can be and feel, in Africa and in an universal sense, all over the world.

I think i’ll remember all my life these extraordinary kids, their happy or serious faces and what I learned about them.

So load up all of your toys and get your trigger finger warmed up! Join toy camera shooters around the world in this day of photo-goodness.

Join the World Toy Camera Day Group on Flickr

I am also looking for any self portraits done on this day to feature on my blog (I will be doing some as well) – please email them to me at holgajen@hotmail.com by November 8!

the trip was spur of the moment, so i hadn’t checked any calendars.  turns out it was also the last weekend of the sturgis motorcycle rally.  being around so many harleys made the weekend that much more patriotic.  it also made for a crazy experience – over 500,000 riders show up annually.  between the monument and the bikers, there were american flags everywhere… and there i was, snapping away with my commie cam.  :)

these are some of the pictures that best highlight the trip – i hope you enjoy them!

To celebrate release of the Diana Mini and it’s half-framey-ness we thought we’d delve into the Flickr vaults to bring you 20 of the best half-frame diptychs. In this digital age it’s easy to place two photos alongside each other, but with a half frame, or indeed any film camera, more thought must go into the final image.

Diptych Schmiztych

What is a Diptych? In photography terms, it simply is the positioning of two photographs next to each other for artistic,dramatic, and sequential reasoning. A Diptych isn’t traditionally a photographic term, it has been around since ancient Greece, with the Diptychs being two plates with a hinge joining them (history lesson FAIL).

So what makes a good diptych? The two photos have to be related of course, but they don’t have to be immediately related, with thought required to gain the connection. They can also work in a comedy-stylee; examples being different heads stuck on different bodies. Basically, they can work on many different levels, and when you see one, you’ll figure out pretty quickly if it’s a decent diptych or not.

Long shadows and the sun by goddess_spiral

perth diptych by lists&diagrams

Figure by patrickjoust

heinz by bobby stokes

Old School by Truckstop

Olympus Pen EE-2 by Jorre Janssens

chairs | car by Oℓivia

We are happy together by +CHERRY+

Negative0-14-10(1) by 嚕嚕

diptych, half-frame xpro double-x. venice beach, ca. 2009. by eyetwist

italy.twice. by Tuffer (belgian edition)

PEN EE-3 by songglod

twinframe by that darn yashica girl

China street diptych by michael seamans

Sarah Buxton and the daily specials by ✪ luc_13 ✪

Utility by scribex

Orange Vs. Grey by naked_dave

And a couple of polaroids:

mean people suck by Supercapacity

no music no life! by Jersey Yen

Do you have any favourites?  Care to share them?

These were taken during Thai New Years, which occurs in April.  Traditionally it’s a time for going to a wat (Buddhist temple) to make merit, showing respect for ones elders, and washing the household Buddha image.  In more modern times, the “cleansing” aspect has been expanded to include a country-wide, no-holds-barred water fight that lasts 3-5 days.  These pictures were taken at Bangkok’s notorious Soi Cowboy during the day, using a Canon Elan II, EF 50mm f/1.8, and a homemade watertight housing constructed out of a ziploc bag, gaffers tape, and $10 UV filter.

(Editors note: Click on a photo to view in a lightbox on black, it may take a few seconds to load due to the size, but it is well worth it..the photos look stunning!).

It's not uncommon to see a mahout (elephant trainer) walking his charge down the street in Bangkok, especially in areas where tourists congregate (so they sell elephant treats to anyone interested in feeding them).

This foreigner has really taken to the spirit of the holiday, outfitting himself with swimming goggles and a pair of water guns

A pair of Thai girls walking down the street, preparing to soak other passersby.

Safety, never terribly high in people's minds, takes a back-burner during the New Year holidays. Every year the Thai government promulgates a new plan for staunching the spike in roadway casualties during the Songkran festivities.

his image, taken from a second story building (on Khao San Road) shows the motion of the densely packed crowd.

A little boy takes a break from the fun to smile for a picture.

Thanks Chad, the photos were incredible.