Macro Success!

Pocket Change
Originally uploaded by Amanda_Morrow

Here is the best of my first try at Macro images with my Holga. The method is described in the previous post. I think the focal "sweet spot" is more like four inches than three inches however.

Holga Macro Modification

All this is is the lens from a cardboard toy stereoscope that I got in a Japanese children's magazine. The focal length is about 3 inches. It pretty much drops right in to the lens barrel, with some foil tape to keep it in place. So easy! The lens is plastic. And lucky me I have two of them. ;) I definitely will be experimenting with the lens on the Slim Pink Dress camera as well.

After some googling, this is the closet thing I could find for sale.

I haven't developed my Holga macro images yet but I will very soon! As soon as I can get in the darkroom that is... hopefully Monday.

I know there are commercially available Holga macro and close up lens attachments, and that people have achieved Holga macro success with magnifying filters but this is what I managed with stuff in my junk drawer for free. I don't even know if my idea works, but I feel like it should. It's the same principle. I'll be sure to post back with my results!

I must apologize for the poor quality of the image, my Rebel's battery is dead and I can't find the charger... hopefully it is in my dorm room!

Found another Holga Show

The Soundry

Not specifically Holga, but limited to lo-fi photography. The entry deadline is the 16th of January, notification by the 19th and pieces need to be received by the 25th. 25 dollar entry fee.

I am not sure if I will be entering or not.

Itching to get back in my Darkroom...

I took two rolls of film over winter break in my Holga and I can't wait to process them! One roll is snow pictures and pictures I took out the window of an air plane. The other is images from around my neighborhood (architecture based). Who knows if I'll be able to use them for a portfolio or not... well here's hoping!

Happy New Year!

Fountains at Clemson Library
Originally uploaded by Amanda_Morrow

Wow I can't believe I have had my Holga for almost a whole year. What a wonderful journey it has been. :D I don't have much to say, but here's an image I shot for my Within the Square series that didn't quite fit. It's still a nice image on its own though. Well enjoy and may all your corners be dark in 2010. ;)

"Vision goes over Technique"

I had someone say this to me about one of my Holga photos when I told them which camera I had used. This is pretty much why I shoot with the Holga, the simplicity allows me to devote myself entirely to the composition. When I use an SLR it's kind of a 'can't see the forest for the trees' thing. I get very caught up in the proper settings and metering for the correct exposure and choosing depth of field and all that. So caught up in fact that I sometimes devote less thought to composition and framing than I should. I enjoy the 'free reign' so to speak, offered by the Holga's point-and-shoot nature.

Additionally, the fact that 120 mm film is more expensive and harder to obtain than 35 mm film causes me to give pause and think more before I press the shutter. I like slowing things down and really considering my subject without the stress of exposure settings. I feel like I gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the subject that way. This is probably why my preference is for architecture over something like portraits. Buildings don't really move that often. ;)

I would argue against the use of the word technique, however. This particular individual is not a native speaker of English so with that caveat technique might not have been the exact word he meant. I (and I am sure many other people) do have a definite technique and process for shooting with my Holga for everything from framing to exposure (based on available light) and I actually think that achieving good exposures with the Holga requires MORE technique and photographic knowledge than with an SLR with a meter that tells you exactly what to set it to. ;) But then I am probably a little biased towards my little plastic buddy here...

I thought it a fitting statement for any well done Holga image and decided to share it here because, well, it IS my blog and also any serious user of 'the little camera that could' knows just how true it is. :)

Pink Slim Dress Photos!

I only managed two successful shots from my first 24 exposure roll, but I guess 1/12 is really not that bad. I don't feel like I am yet at the point where I can pre-visualize for this camera but I have a better idea after having this roll processed. The 22mm lens is wider than I thought! Ahh thinking in the rule of thirds again is refreshing, I have been thinking square for quite a while.



This is my favorite of the two images and is more along the lines of the sort of thing I would like to shoot with the slim. I have this odd desire to shoot farmland and giant hay rolls and cows with the thing. Well I'll be back in Statesboro next month so maybe I'll indulge myself.

Technically the camera preforms well. I was expecting more vignetting but this subtle vignette is nice and non-distracting. The colors are fairly accurate (although I suppose that's the film more than the camera). There is a decent amount of sharpness in the main plane and it softens nicely towards the edges.

My only complaint, rewinding the film takes forever! But it's worth it. :)