My friend Holga

[wholenewlight]

For awhile I've been intrigued with the look and feel of photos taken with "toy" cameras such as the Holga, Diana, or Lubitel.

As you may know, these cameras usually sell for $20 - $60 and take 120 sized film. You get what you pay for as they typically have light leaks and their lens quality is questionable at best. But many photographers like the moody, sometimes nostalgic, and always unique look that these simple cameras deliver.

So, I recent found a cool photoshop action that turns the output from my $1000 Nikon into a $20 plastic wonder - seems like I'm going in the wrong direction . . .:dunno .
It's pretty fun and I found out that certain shots work and others do no not. Anyway, here are a few of my attempts.

Clearview Lanes
http://cs-pics.smugmug.com/photos/31767517-M.jpg

Mennonite church
http://cs-pics.smugmug.com/photos/31704381-M.jpg

Winter apple trees
http://cs-pics.smugmug.com/photos/31767503-M.jpg

My Holga Gallery is HERE (http://cs-pics.smugmug.com/gallery/722646)

Another Holga link HERE (http://www.holgahouse.com/)

And one more HERE (http://jennifershaw.net/)


Thoughts and opinions always appreciated

[USAIR]

I check out these photos and there are some very nice shots there.
Well I like the look and it does give the shots a different feel ...looks like a cool action
Another tool for my tool box http://www.digitalgrin.com/images/smilies/icon10.gif
What action is it ?

Thanks
Fred

[wholenewlight]

I check out these photos and there are some very nice shots there.
Well I like the look and it does give the shots a different feel ...looks like a cool action
Another tool for my tool box http://www.digitalgrin.com/images/smilies/icon10.gif
What action is it ?

Thanks
FredThanks Fred,

Here's the link:

http://share.studio.adobe.com/axAssetDetailSubmit.asp?aID=/6756

It's a freeware action on the adobe studio exchange site. You have to have an adobe id to download. I can email the action to you if you have download problems.

The only thing I don't like in the action is the "grain" layer it adds. The amount of grain is adjustable but I have deleted the layer in many of my shots. It doesn't look like "film grain" to me - it looks like "photoshop grain"!

These kind of pics are an acquired tast and some people think they are silly -my family members included.

Here's another link to a smugmug photographer's holga pics HERE (http://needleman.smugmug.com/gallery/516547)

[gtc]

that could be a good effect for certain circumstances-i can imagine it as being useful for creating old photos for the movies etc

as you like the retro feel to photos you might want to build a pinhole camera-a wooden box with a holder for sheet film inside the back and a little sheet of copper in the front with a little pin hole in it-uncover,wait for as long as you need to get a good exposure and then put it in a lightproof tent and get the film out-it looks pretty good-very moody-worth googling for.i am not up to that kind of regression yet but since i stepped into a camera obscura(a room sized pinhole camera which projects photometric images onto a mirror), at the Australian National Museum, I have been interested.

your friends and family would then be certain that you have lost your mind...