holga - self, hallway

holga - self, hallway
Originally uploaded by LeandroF

Holga 120S, very expired Kodak Plus-X 125 120 film, processed normal, scanned from proof print.

holga - sin in the window II

holga - sin in the window II
Originally uploaded by LeandroF

Holga 120S, very expired Kodak Plus-X 125 120 film, processed normal, scanned from proof print.

holga - sin's feet on the stairs

holga - sin's feet on the stairs
Originally uploaded by LeandroF

Holga 120S, very expired Kodak Plus-X 125 120 film, processed normal, scanned from proof print.

My comrade has arrived

Got my Smena 8M in the mail today via Four Corners Dark store. Great prices on toy cameras and expired film. I also got a grab bag of expired Kodak film, few rolls of slide and few rolls of color print, great price as well. Kinda weird to load the film. Its not a built in spool, but a loose film spool. Had to fold the leader, more like a point, to get it to load. Now to take em' for a test drive....

Anxiously Awaiting My New Comrade

Just ordered a Smena 8M from Four Corners Dark. Pretty good deal, $45 plus case and a roll of expired film.

Four Corner Store

Full Frame vs Full Bleed

full frame
full bleed
full frame
full bleed
As previously mentioned, the lab A&I had problems with that one negative. When they printed my proof prints, I had asked for full frame, but they did full bleed instead. When I asked them to try scanning the problem one, I told them that they were supposed to have been full frame, but no big deal, wasn't going to worry about it. They re-did the whole set, the quality was better and a noticeable amount that got cropped out is now viewable. I know that once I can scan from the neg with the right scanner I'll get my film edges as well, which is what I really want.

holga wooden indian

holga wooden indian
Originally uploaded by LeandroF

Found at the Santa Monica flea market/antique swap....it was the only interesting thing there. This image ended up being difficult for the lab to print do to the frame edges overlapping. Hence the reason its appearing so late since these all came from the same roll. The lab re-did it though, and it worked out fine. Still want my own medium format scanner so I can get to the edges.

Holga 120S, very expired Kodak Portra VC 400 120 color negative film, processed normal C-41. Scanned from film via the lab.

Color Negative

holga sin lunch
Originally uploaded by LeandroF

Another shot from the same batch.

Holga 120S, very expired Kodak Portra VC 400 120 color negative film, processed normal C-41. Scanned from proof print.

Expired Color Negative

These were shot with very expired (probably 7-8 years old) Kodak Portra 400 VC color negative film. Scanned from proof prints. I really liked how they turned out.

35mm mod

The best two from my first attempt with a do it yourself 35mm mod.

Generic, expired Rite Aid color negative film, 200 asa, processed normal c-41. Scanned from film, but from a not so great scanner. The images are wider, more panoramic in frame size, but my scanner only does standard 35mm frame size. Plus, I wanted sprocket holes, and that proved to be difficult as well. When I upgrade my scanner, I'll repost new versions.

Black & White

Tri-X 400 - Processed normal. Scanned from proof prints. I didn't realize it right away, but the shutter was sticking open a bit. Added some interesting effect. WD-40 took care of it.

...

Sometime in College I was introduced to Holgas, along with some other alternative systems and Polaroid of course, but something about Holgas and toy cams in general were frustrating for me at the time. I found myself fighting it. At some point I put the Holga away. I even had a second one new in a box that I sold, but I kept one. And there it sat in a drawer of gear after several different homes and lifetimes for a good ten years. A few months back I found myself looking more and more for holga imagery and really liking it. Researching all the mods. Pricing out processing and scanners (ugh). Going through my now very expired stock of 120 film (with added delight), both color neg, e-6 and black and white. Overall, just thinking square and fuzzy. So, I dusted off the old 120S. I've shot a few rolls, including a 35mm mod. I have to say, I've really missed film. Something about it really makes sense to me now. Anyone can shoot a decent image now due to the proliferation of good digital cameras. Something about that process and "perfection" made me want to explore the basics again, the unpredictable aspects of film and toy cameras, especially that of a Holga. Needless to say, I have found a new appreciation for it and inspiration from it.

Back to Basics

When I was a kid, I always had a thing for photography. Close to twenty years later, I've gone from the 110 camera, to my first Minolta 35mm fully manual camera before I was sixteen. Sometime in college I moved up to a Yashica 35mm then eventually a Contax 35mm system. In that time I also had medium format cameras as well. I had a Mamiya twin lens, a 645 system and a Hasselblad system. Always loved film. Studied it in school, worked commercially for awhile and currently I shoot something everyday. Like most, I made the transition (mostly) to digital what seems like a quite a while ago now. I still love it. I have a Nikon dslr and kick ass point and shoot, the now infamous Panasonic DMC-LX3. I literally shoot with it daily. In fact its partly responsible, because the images reminded me of film. Something was nagging at me...