Featured: I’m over Holgas. Done.
A guest article by Bill Putnam, in which he explains why he is finished with Holga cameras.
I never thought I’d ever write this: I’m over Holgas. Done. Fin’. Dropping that mic. Thing is: this decision has sort of put me in a bind.
I’ve been a photojournalist and now photographer since 1998. Oft deployed for the American Army or in war zones as a civilian I always had a Holga. Always.
Dalliance
My two decade-long dalliance with the Holga began shortly after my first deployment to Kosovo, I found myself back in Seattle hanging out with a friend. We each bought one of those cheap, plastic wonder boxes. I’d never shot 120 and this seemed like a helluva introduction to the format. It was actually Josh’s idea. Relatively new to the craft I handed over the $15 or $20 it cost with a roll of film (Tri-X, I believe).
Since then I’ve acquired Holgas. A lot of Holgas. It was back in Kosovo on another deployment where I randomly ran across Holgamods dot com. I consider Randy a friend so this decision might hurt him (sorry, dude!).
Somewhere deep in my archives there’s a photo of me and Henry Rollins shot on a Holga in Kuwait. I approached him and asked if we could take a photo. He pointed at the camera asking “what the hell is that?” With a simple click-clunk his handler took the photo and went about our day. He went on to Iraq on a USO tour. I went home on leave.
A couple of months later, back in Iraq, the Holga broke. War is hell on cheap plastic boxes. The amazing staff at Bluemoon Camera in Portland sent me a new one. I had it both trips to Iraq and it finally broke on my first trip to Afghanistan.
I shot mostly black-and-white (the landscape reminded me of central Oregon) and some color. I couldn’t replace the broken Holga because I was literally at the edge of the empire, maybe a kilometer from the Afghan-Pakistan border. The second trip I bought a normal one and a 35mm panoramic model.
Modified
Since leaving “The Game” in 2013, Randy has even modified a couple to shoot with a waist-level finder. Which is great because I’m tall and shooting from different angles, normal ones even, is easier with a WLF when I’m shooting street photos with the Holga. Mostly though I shoot Tri-X with a normal Holga and this is where I hit that bind.
I’ve been shooting a project since December 2006 on a Holga. I make photos whilst driving on long-distance road trips. It will be a zine at some point. Maybe even a series of them.
The Holga is pretty much a point and shoot camera and I’ve rarely had bad exposures even in crazy light. I like the funky look of the f8 60mm lens. It’s almost poetic in some way. The camera freezes a moment and it’s up to the viewer to render and decipher it.
What I don’t like is the gamble of a loose roll. You know what I’m talking about, where the roll isn’t quite tight and bulges out past the spool. The number of such ruined rolls over the last 20-plus years has been too many to count. I have tried ways to keep the film tight. Garbage bag clasps, washers made of gaffers tape, odd bits of film box cardboard. None of it works.
Done
Finally, after a trip back to DC and Pennsylvania in September I hit my breaking point. The gaffer tape washer I used made the camera impossible to turn. So I tried a bread bag clip. That didn’t work despite trying the clip in different positions. Three of the five rolls were loose. The other two, randomly, were tight. The light leak funkiness that people rave about ruined those loose rolls. So I’m done. Fin. Dropping that mic.
Only now I’m not sure how to proceed with this project. The quandary I’m at is philosophical and technical.
What options are out there to replace the Holga? A Fuji GA645 or GS645, maybe. But those are finicky and old and I imagine it’s difficult to shoot whilst driving. Using my Mamiya C300 is out of the question too. Maybe I can design a 3D printable rig. Maybe.
My next options are a 35mm camera. Maybe my Leica M6 or a Leica II? Or my Nikon F4? I’ve looked into sports finders for my F4 and brightline finders for my Leica. Those are options. They might even be safer actually.
Question
This is where the philosophical question comes in.
Can you switch up formats – 120 to 135 – mid project? Is it a new project at that point? I don’t know. I have been wrestling with this idea for the last week or so. I like to think the project remains the same because the content is the same – fleeting moments captured in black-and-white along America’s highways. Then again, someone may say it’s a different project if the images are in different formats.
At this point I’m not sure what to do. I’m driving back to DC again in November. I may break out my F4 with a 35mm lens and set it up like a Holga: f8 at roughly 1/60 pre focused to infinity, loaded with Tri-X (or HP5+). No idea if I’ll have that sport finder though.
Let me know in the comments what you think. I’m genuinely curious what others think about this philosophical and technical quandary. Til then, a friend of mine is getting all of my Holgas.
Bill has a desk job in Chicago and photographs whenever he can. He develops his own film (in his bathtub). He might also be the last person to shoot Kodachrome in a war zone. You can see more of his work on Instagram @billputnamphoto and on his website at billputnamphoto.photoshelter.com
Thanks to Bill for sharing his experience with the Holga. If you would like to write for JCH then you can drop me a line here and we can feature you on the site.
Comments and thoughts are of course welcome.
Cheers
JCH
Hassy Superwide
Maybe a mamiya six the old folder or a voigtlander perkeo…. have a look at certo6.com
But ultimately a kodak brownie box would be more apprpriate for the project Philosophy.
Maybe the agfa box is better built. Keep up with your project
A 1950’s 120 agfa camera, the kind that inspired the Holga in the first place, might do the job too. As for box cameras … an agfa box would eliminate the need to re-roll film onto 620 spools, so I understand that. A Kodak box camera tends to be my point-and-shoot of choice, though I do miss the tripod mount and the ability to easily snap a photo through a car window.
You need an old Zeiss-Ikon folder. Cheap, simple, good lenses (some even coated), all over eBay, etc. They shoot 120 as 6×6, 6×7, or (a few) 6×9 yet fold to pocket size. Zeiss made them well into the 1950s, and most cost maybe $100-300.
If it doesn’t feel right don’t change format.
I’d give Frank’s idea a thought.
Try a Pentacon SIX TL
Not a cheap option, but what about a Lomo LC-A 120? Shoots square, zone focus etc.
Maybe you can try a Diana F+ ? I don’t like how you load the film but when you get it you won’t loose any.
Hear me out. Fujifilm Instax Square. They are relatively cheap and maybe not bulletproof, but certainly dependable. Available at any Target or Best Buy. The everyman camera for this generation. Quirky and unpredictable like the Holga, but in my experience produces useable images. They make a black and white film, which seems like it would fit your project. The Diana F+ is also a good choice if you want that color effect effect produced by a plastic lens. I have both (and a Holga). For black and white I like the Instax best.
It is kind of amazing to think someone would take Holga to a war zone.
Check out the Michael Ackerman book “End Time City.” It’s one of my favorite photo books and demonstrates an excellent ability to use multiple formats in the same project. Also, Michael Kenna has some work with a Holga, in his case he went from years of work with a Hasselblad to using a Holga (not exclusively)
I’ve only put a dozen or so rolls through my Holga. One was tight to wind between exposures after frame 8,but managed to expose the full 12.
I opened the camera in the dark and rewound the film.No problems. Not ideal,but ok if you’ve a backup camera.
Apparently the new model with the foam pads is less prone to fat roll. The worst camera I’ve found for FR is my cheap 6X6 Agfa pinhole conversion.
I’d persevere if I were you. Maybe try a late model. In 35mm,for the application in the story,the Ricoh KR10m would be ideal. Motor Drive,cheap as chips,Manual focus with auto and manual everything else. Auto bracketing,multiple exposure,compensation-the works! (and a 20 ft wire operated remote release-not to mention up to 30 second timed shutter speeds.
Stlii,If I had to use only one camera,It’d be a Holga!
fix it or get another Holga, don’t cheap out of a project with an unrelated quality tool. It’s a project after all – perseverance is the key differentiator between a project or a mood.
LC-A 120 is my new holga, albeit a bit more sophisticated, more expensive and prone to fat rolls. I like it with Velvia 50 or Pan F @100. Its the right size of camera and great wide lens.
I’ve just read about Dora Goodman cameras, (doragoodman.com). Mebbe there’s something in there for you?
Cheers, Chris.
There is nothing like square format or Holga! Square format is so beautiful, esp. if one develops in bathroom, me kitchen.
What in its place? I have a very old 1954? Rollei with Tessar. Really hard to use in street.. Medium format in studio, all Mamiya C series lenses. Heavy as a hell. The Rollei lighter! Liked your photos.
Never had a FR problem shooting with the Lomo LC-A 120, though it’s happened with my Zero Image 6×9. After the first time it happened, I bought a film changing bag. I unload that camera now inside the bag which gives me the opportunity to tighten up those rolls without light damage. Yes, kind of a PITA, but it works.
My first camera, 50+ years ago, was either a Diana or a Holga, I forget.
I wonder if what you are after is the look of the images or the usability, or lack thereof, of the tool? If it’s just the look then there are smart phone apps that emulate ’toy’ cameras, but I presume that would be cheating?!
After years of using Sony I have changed to Fuji and my love of the craft has returned.
Wouldn’t you rather have a reliable camera? Sounds like you have plenty to choose from so I assume it’s the look of the image AND the camera itself that you loved. I think the poster who suggested the Instamatix is on to something. Apparently it’s the most purchased camera in the world! I d idn’t know they did B&W film – that’s wonderful.
Stay safe, Les Hall.
I suggest getting a TLR … They have a sports-finder, shoot medium format and will be a step-up in quality to a Holga. Maybe not so point and shoot, but focusing is easier than a 35mm SLR.
Plus its a square image too.