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I am a Holga fanatic. A what?? you ask.. The Holga is a Chinese-made medium-format toycamera with a plastic lens... Gotta love it! Actually, it may not be for everyone... Some people actually recoil at the very thought of using this camera. For instance, it does require the patience of Job to load and unload the thing. You have to tape it up to avoid light leaks, and this also helps to keep the back from falling off. You even have to manually wind it! It is a slow and tedious beast indeed... and after all that effort, you only get 12 frames for your trouble. My method is to throw 4 or 5 fully loaded cameras into my beach bag, and that way I can take a luxurious amount of film before reloading.
I want to make fresh, exciting imagery and the Holga is full of creative potential, with it's ability to make multiple exposures and the myriad of other creative things that I can do with it...The lens is sharpest in the center and tends to create blur around the edges. After several years of using the Holga, I feel that I have only begun to explore it's possibilities. The Holga camera has a large international following and there are many websites devoted to the joys of picture taking with this toycamera. It's low tech approach proves that it's more about the photographer than about the equipment... I studied painting in college, and the Holga gives me the satisfaction of making art with my camera. Some photographs inspire me to paint, to further express the feeling of those moments.
The camera is deceptively simple, yet offers much creative freedom of expression.. If you can hang in there, it can be quite rewarding... I love the way the photographs look.
Please enjoy visiting my galleries.
Maura Brennan
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