I am excited to announce that three of my photos were selected to appear at Saans Downtown’s annual Holga show—“the premier international showcase for photographs that are Holga-made.” One even made the exhibit postcard.
The announcement on the Saans web site provides some background to the Holga camera:
Born in 1982 in Hong Kong as a decidedly low-fidelity way to capture images to the medium format 120 film favored by commercial photographers of that day, the Holga camera was an ugly-duckling that soon caught the attention of a cadre of aficionados that is still growing.
Its equalizing qualities lie in its simplicity — its utter inability to intimidate the user, no matter how young or inexperienced, and in the unpredictable effects that derive from its cheap plastic construction, along with its lack of precision exposure control. Effects are random and various, but often include minor light links, soft edges, vignetting and other characteristics that would most definitely be undesirable in a “real” camera.
Simplicity and unpredictability make shooting with the Holga entirely subject to the photographer’s raw instincts. At the same time, the Holga is easily capable of creative manipulation such as multiple exposures and long exposures, for those who wish to push on with greater experimentation.
The photographs accepted include the two train wheel Holga shots that were accepted to the show, “Is it possible to make a photograph of New Jersey regardless of where you are in the world?” and another entitled Giraffes.
The show runs through Jan 5, 2009.