I’m learning to shoot the holgamod. It was a Valentine’s Day gift from my sweetie but I was too crazy busy to find film for it. I threw it into my bag the last time I was on the road (the L.A./Pasadena/NYC leg) hoping maybe I’d cross paths with a camera shop.
I did.
The morning I stood in my hotel window shooting this cameraphone shot I glanced down in the street and saw the neon sign in the dawn light: Samy’s Camera. It was fate.
I loaded my first roll the next afternoon while it was still cold from Samy’s fridge and headed out for the Norton Simon, just up the road from my hotel. By the time I completed the circuit in Midtown Manhattan two days later I had shot 15 frames on a roll that was meant to support 12 -- including a bunch from the old Carnegie Library that was my library when I was living in South Pas -- so I was pretty sure I’d lose a few.
I didn’t expect to lose all but six. Five and a half, actually -- ‘cause this one shot from the freeway overpass freaked out on me for sure, and I have no idea how. It was smack dab in the middle of the roll.
But this, I’m told, is the beauty of holga mind: Mercurial. Temperamental. A little bit noisy and unpredictable -- although mine appears to be a quiet little lady.
Clearly: Since she’s too polite to say a word if I leave the frickin’ lens cap on.
Which is what I think may have happened to the rest of that roll.
Dangit.
4 comments:
Holgas are a blast. I set mine up with color film and an $18 flash and did a bunch of party photographs some years ago. The color shifts and light pops were beautiful.
Coupla Holga tips.
1. Get a roll of black gaffers tape from a camera store. You can use this to tape up any light leaks that you don't like. Also, tape the camera shut after you load film to keep leaks from forming in the back opening.
2. About that lens cap. Take a piece of gaffers tape and make two wings coming off of the lens cap that are long enough to stick up into the viewfinder. This way you will always see that the cap is on before you take the picture. Or toss the lens cap entirely.
3. Oh, and most useful...
When you load film, take one of the tab from the film box, tear it off, fold it in half and wedge it in next to the film roll, not on the takeup side, but on the film side. This will create drag when you wind the film and will help to keep the film flat and also slow down your winding so that you don't over wind by accident. It especially helps as you get into the second half of the roll.
that rocks! thanks, a.m.
and to think all this while I've been belaboring under the impression that the answer was "42" when really it was "gaffers tape."
thanks again!
Jay has a holga and always gets the best photos with it. The mistakes are always the best ones, particularly the double exposures.
He has his taped up with velcro tape so you can tape it up but still open it easily and it doesn't get all sticky from regular tape.
:)
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