Taken with my Holga 120N, Kodak 120 TMAX 400 film, scanned on my HP C3150, film processed and printed by Marin Film Works
I can’t even remember what kind of camera I started taking pictures with, but it was a film camera. My first memories of photography are with a Polaroid and I owned a Kodak disc camera at around the age of 8 or 9. There’s something about the quality of film that digital cameras just can’t replicate. And then there’s the Holga, offering a unique qualities even beyond what traditional film cameras offer.
I got a Holga 120N mostly to experiment and see what I could come up with. I’ve actually had the camera for a long time, but have only developed two rolls of film. Developing costs almost as much as the camera. The first roll was a learning experience and the photos are nothing I care to share with the world. This shot is from the second roll which had a few good shots. I had the film developed last week and found shots from six months ago on the roll. The surprise of remembering what you shot is part of the appeal of film, you forget what shot until it’s developed and are pleasantly surprised when you see the prints.
I plan to get the next roll shot and processed in a much shorter time span, maybe a couple of months. I’m still learning and haven’t perfected the focusing technique (if it even exists). I do like the quality of the lens, I just need to work on the shot selection and composition. Exposure is what is, you don’t get a lot choice. I’ll probably try a couple of flash shots as well just to see what happens.
The prints are much better than the scans, probably because my scanner isn’t that great. I’m not sure paying the extra money for scanning during development is worth since I only had two or three “keepers” in this roll, but I do like the prints. There’s something magical about holding the image in your hand, even if the photo isn’t great.