Those of you who enjoy photography and who browse photo-sharing sites like Flickr have probably come across the word “Holga.” I noticed that a lot of interesting photos are tagged with the term, so I poked around to see what it meant.

I discovered that a Holga is a type of film camera originally produced in China during the 1980s. With poorly-made plastic bodies, plastic lenses, and dinky price tags (less than $100 for a camera and accessories), Holgas are essentially toys, so you may wonder why so many photographers are using them.

Snag your own Holga at shop.lomography.com.

The reason is regression, or maybe rebellion. Photos taken with a Holga are extremely “lo-fi,” so they’re unlike the slick, sharp, and polished photos most people take today. The lo-fi look is the result of the Holga’s poor construction. Photos taken with a Holga are often vignetted and a little blurry, and bear the marks of light leaks. In fact, some Holgas leak so much light that users have taped up to the camera housings in an effort to keep the light out.

The vignetting is apparent in this Holga photo from Flickr user Matt Callow.

Another regressive option presented by a Holga is black and white photography. Holgas are film cameras, and can accommodate color or black and white 120 film—refreshing when you consider that many of the black and white photos you see today are really just full-color digital images modified in Photoshop.

This photo from Flickr user Stephanie Carter is indicative of the intriguing, eerie feel common to Holga photography.

Holgas are also appealing because they’re easy to modify. Tech folks are into mods and mashups these days, and a Holga is a good platform. Modders can fit Polaroid or 35mm film components on a Holga, replace the lens with all sorts of options, and spruce up the camera body to make the camera a piece of art in its own right.

Take a moment to view the photos tagged with “Holga” on Flickr, and visit http://shop.lomography.com/holga/about/ to see even more amazing shots. While there, you can also learn more about this increasingly popular method of photographic rebellion.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 22nd, 2007 at 1:23 pm and is filed under Photography. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.