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Project 2 - Toy Cameras. HOLGA The Holga is a popular low-tech camera that was first manufactured in Hong Kong in 1982. It was for amateur use. "Holga" is a European pronunciation of its Chinese name "ho gwong" meaning "very bright. ”
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HOLGA • The Holga is a popular low-tech camera that was first manufactured in Hong Kong in 1982. It was for amateur use. • "Holga" is a European pronunciation of its Chinese name "ho gwong" meaning "very bright.” • Eventually, it became popular in the West as an “art” camera, following on from interest in the Diana camera, which it resembles.
The Holga camera is a crudely made plastic camera with few adjustments Like the Mamiya, it is a medium format camera, using 120 film, in color or black & white. Its lens is a plastic single element of 60mm focal length It has only two aperture settings: f/8 and f/11 It has only two shutter speeds: 1/125 and "B” setting Focus is manual with four distance settings: close-up/figure/group/distance
The Holga uses the same film format as the Mamiya: square frames on 120 film. The Mamiya lens is 80mm – a standard lens. The Holga lens is 60mm which means it is a wide-angle lens. The particular wide angle of the Holga lens is very suitable for a variety of subjects.
Holga cameras are popular because they give unique image qualities.Note the soft focus, especially around the edges, and the vignetting in the corners. Because they have only a few settings, they are simple to use – providing the light is OK.Press photographer David Burnett used a Holga camera instead of a normal professional camera to photograph Al Gore campaigning for president in 2000.This photograph won an award. David Burnett, Al Gore, 2000
Greg Neville, the Vertigo project A series of Holga photographs of New York skyscrapers. Exhibited in 2004 at Lab X gallery in St Kilda.
LIGHT LEAKS Toy film cameras are notorious for light leaks – cheap manufacture means light can get in where it’s not wanted!This light “fog” can be a problem as it is not predictable and is hard to prevent. Some people tape up joins with black gaffer tape.Sometimes if you’re lucky the light leaks can be an asset, giving your pictures an unexpected interest. Holga photography by NMIT Photo Media students
Holga photography is distinctive – you can usually recognize it. There’s a softness to the optical quality. There is a noticeable fall-off in sharpness near the edge. The vignetting in the corner (the darkness) contributes something to the image. Holga photography by NMIT Photo Media students
Handcoloured black & white print Holga photography by NMIT Photo Media students
Because the film is wound on by handand not by a geared mechanism, multiple exposures and panoramas can be easily made. Holga photography by NMIT Photo Media students
