Holga? What’s a Holga?

OK, I’ll admit it; deep down, I’m a camera snob. So, when I overheard a conversation by a colleague who mentioned that they couldn’t wait to take some pictures with their new “Holga”, some enlightenment was in order. And now, I can’t wait to take some pictures with my new Holga, which arrived today.

Holga 120 FN Plastic “Toy” Camera

Regardless of one’s professional status as a photographer, I don’t think the relevance of this “camera” can easily be dismissed. It’s fun. It’s quirky. It brings you down off your pedestal and gets you thinking again. Or, maybe not thinking, but just shooting. And wondering. Anticipating how the image will look. Not unlike pinhole photography, but with much shorter exposure times.



There are actually many flavors of this camera from which to choose. Some with built-in flash, some with a hot shoe (either or, unfortunately). There’s even a pinhole model, and a 35mm model. I chose this model because of it’s seemingly robust flash. There’s another flash model with three built-in color filters that I came close to choosing, but I wasn’t sure how effective it would be. The built-in flash appealed to me over the hot shoe, as traveling light seemed to be what this camera is all about.



I’m not at all put off by the quality of construction, which actually seems pretty good for what it is. I only wish I had known about this camera before I bought my daughter’s first film camera, which was a not just a toy camera, but a “kiddy camera”.



So, with this inexpensive camera, I’ve officially entered the world of true Lomography. And while I understand the concept, I fear the only way I will truly “get it” is once I start shooting with it.

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You can learn more about the Holga and its cult following by visiting the Holga Microsite.