"My Story" - Holga Jen

A little bit about me (HolgaJen) and my Blog



I started this blog last year, in December 2008.  I realized that I have not yet posted "my story" about how I came to become a loyal Holga user, film enthusiast and photography lover.  Now, on my (almost) one year blog anniversary (yay!), I would like to share this with all of you, my loyal readers!

I discovered the Holga about 6 years ago.  An online friend of mine had posted a link to one of their friends photos, encouraging everyone to check out his work.  Since I was just starting to get the "photography bug" and had recently purchased a little Canon film point and shoot, I clicked on it!  I was so intrigued by what I saw, I was inspired and confused at the same time, and I had to find out more. (More on this photographer soon in my next feature photographer post)

The rest is history, as they say.

After doing a bit of research on these cameras he was using, I discovered a whole new world -  of film (medium format, black and white, cross processed, polaroid) and cameras (holga, lomo, toy, plastic) and I was smitten.  Out of all of them, the Holga photos affected me the most.  I remember having this irresistible urge to buy one - so I did.

Then came the huge learning curve.  You might  think "what could be so hard about using a Holga? It's a TOY!"  Well, that is the exact reason why it can be so difficult.  To a seasoned Holga shooter, the little things like how to load the film, and get the back to stay on, are not even given a second thought.  But for a new user, they can be the most confusing!  I know that I had those issues when I first started - but with the help of some websites, and kind people who didn't mind me asking questions, I started shooting.  I remember my first roll, I shot indoors using the flash, most of the results were nothing spectacular - I was just happy that I got the film loaded right!  This is from my first roll - city lights taken off of my balcony at night. 



The next roll I shot outdoors, using black and white film.  This is where I fell in love.





I have been a loyal Holga user ever since.  I find that with every roll I shoot there is something new, I see things in different ways, and have fun experimenting with my photos.  I think having fun is the most important part!  There is also something about the anticipation of waiting for your film to come back that is wonderful.

I started blogging a few years ago on another site, that isn't around anymore.  It started off as just a platform to share my photos, but as I've developed this new blog over the past year, I realized that there was so much more to talk about, and lots of people are discovering the Holga every day.  In hopes of sharing my love of film photography, Holgas and other toy cameras in general, I started posting news, links, events, tips and most recently featuring other photographers' work!

I hope you enjoy your time here - and if you don't yet have a Holga - what are you waiting for?

**Disclaimer: I use Google Adsense and search, which is posted on the right hand column.  I can't control the ads, but they may occasionally be helpful to you.  When you click on them I make a small (read: very small) commission.  I am also an Amazon affiliate and may post links to their products occasionally if I find any that are relevant..  Again, I make a small percentage off of any sales through those links.  Just wanted to put it out there!  Other than that, any product reviews or links are just my humble opinion and I do not make any money off of blogging about them**