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BPC City Projects: Holga Style

BPC had a "holga day" in the Boston Public Garden in preparation for this year's City Projects exhibition.

 

We had some folks new to Holga, so Banafsheh gave a bit of an intro to the plastic fantastic, along with some tips and caveats.

 

I noticed as I was scanning my negatives that my photos from the day illustrate several of her key points ;-)

 

This first one, at left, came out pretty much as I expected it to... the exception proves the rule!

These two are okay but they really show one of the main drawbacks of not composing through the lens (the viewfinder is just a piece of plastic. well, ok, so is the lens but the point is, the viewfinder doesn't show you what the lens will photograph ;-)

 

At right -- that dude is much bigger in the frame than I expected him to be...

...while at left, that footbridge is waaaaay more distant than I thought it was (can you even see it? LOL ;-) Not to mention that big gaping barren spot right in the middle. Duh. This one I'll take again, making sure to frame something in those branches.

 

I love how the one above came out!

 

Below, two more wannabes. I'll keep trying with those birch trees -- they looked so good in person but they're just not as luminous or as fetchingly arranged in the photo as I'd hoped they would be.

 

The bridesmaids were a happy accident and a different lens would have given me more "pop" and a better composition, but of course with the Holga, you get the one lens and you make do ;-)

Nothing worked out as it was supposed to here.

-- the blur is because I was down in that fountain (shooting the shot below, as it happens) and thought I'd need to compensate for the low light by hand-holding a several-second exposure (believe it or not I have had success doing this before).

-- there's way too much of that woman in the shot -- it was just supposed to be her feet (but I can't hold the camera as still at my eye as I can at my waist, so...).

-- the overexposure (guess I didn't need the long exposure after all -- oops!) blew out the graffiti below the woman's feet, which along with her shoes was kind of the point of the shot.

-- finally, the bright green of her sneakers is totally lost here too -- they're the reason I asked her to be in the shot in the first place!

 

But despite abject failure on all these fronts, I love the weird underwater dream quality of this photo.

 

 

Meanwhile the shot I was in the fountain for in the first place came out ok, though in the viewfinder the graffiti -- "do what you love" -- wasn't partially obscured by the feet!

I really only took this one because I couldn't believe how tall this dog was! I'm still not sure one of his parents isn't a horse -- his legs are as long as mine. Weird. His name is Boomer, btw, and he's a great dane.

These are off-topic but they show that a Holga loaded with 160ASA film isn't limited to daytime fun. After dinner with the group, Jay and I walked to Kendall T, and along the way I took these to finish my roll. I took these switching the camera to "B" (so the shutter remains open as long as you hold the button down) and just bracing the camera against something.

 

For the Charles station shot I held the camera tight and still against a wrought-iron fence, and for the skyline shot. I rested the camera on the longfellow bridge railing. Both ended up overexposed -- I think they were roughly 8 seconds each.

All images copyright 2008 Bonnie Borthwick. All rights reserved.

COMMENTS
Chinaplus said at 8:36 p.m. on Apr 28, 2008:
Have never tried a Holga, and admire those who have. As the poem goes, "I dwell in possibility." Great shots. Great sense of adventure. Great intro for BPC Projects: Year 3! Thanks for sharing. Mary S.
Mel_Snyder said at 9:14 p.m. on Apr 28, 2008:
Bonnie, some of these are really special, whether Holga or not. Frankly, I put Holga photography into the same category as running the Boston Marathon backwards. But a few of these -- especially the tulip shot at top, and the one of the couple under the flowering tree -- transcend the artificial boundaries of the Holga format.
Saulblum said at 10:01 p.m. on Apr 28, 2008:
You got your film developed fast! Mine's still sitting in my bag :( Nice set, I also really like the tulip one. (I didn't attempt any "underwater" shots!)
Katerina said at 10:12 p.m. on Apr 28, 2008:
The successful shots are really lovely, esp. the young couple and Boston at night.

As for my own attempts yesterday - Gasp! my "bulb" setting was on as I shot the whole roll
(first time using this camera,
and who thinks to look at the bottom for a control button?) But maybe if your "bulb" shots
came out, mine will too.
Great to see you yesterday
Lataylor said at 10:20 p.m. on Apr 28, 2008:
You know, I really like the one of the Charles MGH T stop. The colors and curves are nice.
Bonnie_B said at 10:37 p.m. on Apr 28, 2008:
Thanks friends! Saul -- Cameras Inc (Davis Sq and Arlington) does the developing in an hour (I only get developing now, and scan the negs myself) -- it's ALMOST instant gratification ;-) Katherine -- ooouch, that has happened to me as well! It's not the end of the world, usually! Oh and btw, I think I mentioned this to some folks yesterday but it bears repeating: I never change the focus distance on purpose. I am convinced it does nothing, though some (hello in advance, Jeff Engel ;-) claim otherwise!
Banafsheh said at 4:03 p.m. on Apr 29, 2008:
can I tell ya something! I LOVE THEM ALL! ahhhhhhh!
Banafsheh said at 4:08 p.m. on Apr 29, 2008:
ahhhhh!lol
Bonnie_B said at 9:53 p.m. on Apr 29, 2008:
LOL, B ;-) OH and here is another thing I believe (that Jeff E. does not!) -- the "cloudy/sunny" switch does nothing. Nothing. I leave mine on cloudy all the time. Basically the only thing on the holga that does anything is the N/B switch, and I even have my doubts about that. Whatever. I LOVE MY HOLGA :-) I'm going to make another tabblo right now with some pics from March.
Engelgrafik said at 11:43 p.m. on Apr 29, 2008:
My favorite is the first photo. That's a winner. Regarding the Holga apertures... the apertures exist, they just need to be made to work correctly via modification because the engineers put them in the wrong order! I think the newer Holgas might work correctly... the ones with the Glass lens, the "G" models. Or the Woca. I got one of my Holgas modified and even made the f8 aperture bigger so that it's now f5.6.
Banafsheh said at 10:34 a.m. on Apr 30, 2008:
The DOG! man The DOG! ahhhh, dont ask for Jeff's opinion , he still listens to Abba!hahaha
GeorgePL said at 5:58 p.m. on May 2, 2008:
Very nice Bonnie! My fav. is the one of the couple under the white blooming tree.
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