Earlier this year I acquired a Holga 120N camera. Some of the first cameras I used (other than point-and-shoot 35mm cameras as a child) were Lomography cameras, like the Lomo Fisheye, the Lubitel 166U and the Smena 35, but I never had a Holga before moving on to bigger, more expensive cameras with sharper lenses. Recently, for some reason, I started enjoying lo-fi photography more than I had done previously.
I had a foray into pinhole photography a few years ago, but it was short-lived, mainly because the 5x4" camera I used (Ilford Obscura) was quite impractical for the kind of photographic process I enjoy. The Holga is much better suited to it; it's lightweight, very simple in design, quick and easy to use. The results have a beautiful analogue softness; they are the products of my vision, but they have just enough unpredictability to be surprising when I first digitise the negatives. Which is part of the joy of using this camera. Not everything can be controlled. It's almost like the pictures are a collaboration between yourself, the photographer, and everything else that can't be named or known. And what comes out of it, to me at least, might be more interesting than something I had full control over.
Anyway, here is a selection of photos from 2 rolls of Kodak Gold that went through my Holga on that recent trip to Arran. I'll definitely use this camera again soon...
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