Holga – Plastic Pinhole Medium Format

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Discovering Squares

Having had access to a couple truly beautiful medium format cameras while in school – a Hasselblad and Mamiya – I'd became enamored with 120 film, particularly in 6x6cm (2.25".)

Creating square compositions was a welcome departure – a lovely break from the rather worn out choice between 'portrait' and 'landscape'. As one who very much appreciates symmetry, working with squares was a whole new kind of satisfying.

Combined with a return to black and white analog, I found myself inspired by limitation – by the deep engagement and attention required when one has just 12, precious frames per roll of actual film.

Unable to afford a proper medium format, I settled for the next best thing; a simple, plastic, pinhole 'toy camera' called a Holga, known for its distinctive blur, light-leaks and vignetting.

In 2011, a friend and I ventured to Southern California to photograph Slab City and The Salton Sea. It was the perfect opportunity to play with my Holga.

While the scans of that film are not the best representations, they give a good sense of what this camera produces.

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