"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. :)