Showing posts with label Holga Photos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holga Photos. Show all posts

Saturday, August 22, 2026

Self Reflections with a Holga

More selfie experiments with my Holga.

I shot this roll with random winding, double exposures and a window reflection to create the effects.  I also converted this to black and white in post with some curves editing as the film was super expired.  This was shot on a Holga 120N with Fuji 160S expired 220 format film. 





As always thank you for stopping by and if you're out there, please leave me a comment.  I'm not sure how much reach blogs get these days or if anyone still has any interest in this page 😄


~Jen

Monday, July 27, 2026

Past Self

It has been some time since I've picked up my Holga, about 10 years as I mentioned in my previous post.  It's been even longer since I've done self portrait work.  I decided to go back to my very first roll from 20 - yes I said 20 - years ago.  I really enjoy the feelings evoked from memories, nostalgia, self introspection and dreams.  I feel like revisiting these images of myself bring up lots of interesting things and I enjoy seeing the similarities and differences.  

Words fall a bit short of capturing how this truly feels, but these abstract emotions are ones we share. You’ll understand it in your own way. That is the magic of art and self-expression. I invite you to explore that space too, if you dare.  

So, with that I present to you my 2006 vs my 2026 versions of self.




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Thursday, May 14, 2026

HolgaJen is back with her Holga in 2026

Why hello there!  I don't even know if anyone reads blogs anymore, so this is just a test post!  It has been a long time my friends - almost 10 years since I last shot my Holga and 8 since I've posted here on my blog.  

If anyone is still out there, please leave me a comment and let me know! I have revived my Flickr account and can also still be found on the other usual social media platforms.  Here are a few of my recent images from a trip to Nova Scotia.  Let me know what you think!







Friday, January 6, 2017

YOUR Favorite Holga Photo - 2016 Edition

Well, this post is late so let's get right down to it, shall we?  ðŸ˜€

YOUR Favorite Holga Photo - 2016 Edition



Name: Kristian Day
Location: Des Moines, Iowa
Title Of Image: A Beer On Sunday
Holga 120N w/ Ilford HP5 400ASA 120 Black and White (stock film that came with camera)
Links: www.kristianday.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristianday/
I read online back in fall of 2015 that Holga's were being discontinued so when my girlfriend asked what I wanted for Christmas I told her I wanted the Holga 120N. I had I never used one before. So on Christmas day sure enough she had gotten me a Holga! I loaded it with the Ilford 120 b/w stock that was inside the box. I didn't really understand how to use it as I had only used SLR film cameras minus one 127 film camera I had. I took the camera with me everywhere but was very picky on what I shot. One Sunday in January I took my girlfriend and her parents to Firetrucker Brewery to treat them to a couple beer flights. Her dad's health had been slowly failing and he was not doing well that day but he and I always bonded over beers. I took this photo of him and it turned out to be one two photos in that first roll that I would consider good. In fact it was the only photograph from that first roll that was in focus. July of this year he had a stroke and passed away in hospice a week later.





Name: Adrian Stock (host of the Sunny16 podcast on film photography)
Location: UK
Title: Beach colour
Holga products: Holga 120GN
Film: Kodak Ektar 100
Website: @sunny16podcast on both Twitter and Instagram
I took my holga on holiday to Croatia in the summer and captured some great colour images in sunshine much brighter than we usually get in the UK. This is my favourite because it captures for me the memory of that trip.




Anthony Felipe, Edison, NJ
"Come On, You Can Get It".
https://www.flickr.com/photos/polyfez/
Taken from a Holga GTLR using Ultrafine Xtreme Black & White ISO 100 film. Developed and scanned by the Darkroom. The photograph was taken during a family trip down at the Round Vally Reservoir. My dog King was very excited to play in the clear lake. While there, my sister threw the ball near the water and King rushed to go and get it. That was when I decide to capture that moment of my dog at his best time. I love this picture so much since not only did I caught and sealed a beautiful photo of my dog. It kicked off my creativity on using the Holga more often and expand my mind in photography. As well as motivating me a lot.




Dave Wilkinson
Brancaster Staithe North Norfolk
The Crab hut
Holga 120N
Ilford HP5 home dev Ilfosol
https://www.flickr.com/photos/davewilkinson5/
This is the crab hut on the car park at Brancaster Staithe in North Norfolk, they do absolutely fantastic seafood sandwiches. It also happens to be our favourite holiday location which we try and get to twice a year. I have only been using the Holga for about 18 months, but absolutely love the images that I get from her. There is just something special about developing your own negatives and the look you get from the final print. It has really opened my eyes and made me think a lot more about the final image before you take the shot and slowing you down compared to digital.
Website for the most important photo work I've ever done: www.domesticviolencearoundus.com




Name: Earle Thompson (a.k.a. Takgyver or @Takgyver01)
Location: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Title: "Need a Harp"
Holga products: Holga GFN
Film: Ilford HP5+ at 1200 in Rodinal
Website: http://www.pbase.com/takgyver
"Missing the Blues" - This young fellow was funny, very polite, and knew the game he was playing. We had a great chat he was happy to be photographed.




Name: Dustin Veitch
Location: Rural south Saskatchewan
Title: Prairie Skyline
Holga: CFN 120
Film: Fuji Velvia 100 (Expired; unknown date)
This is my favorite Holga shot. I won a Holga 120 CFN in a photo contest in February but it wasn’t until July before I got around to shoot it. The camera came loaded with a roll of film that was kept secret from me until I finished and later developed it. Without any instruction or direction, other than it being color film, I just went and shot it not expecting much only to find that it was one of my favorite film stocks. Not bad for my first roll with the Holga.




Name: J. M. Golding
Location: Peak District National Park, UK
Title: A vortex in the path
Holga products and film: Holga 120N, Kodak Tri-X
My website: http://www.jmgolding.com
This year I had the amazing experience of visiting a landscape that I'd known only through the photographs of Al Brydon (http://www.al-brydon.com/), whose work has inspired me for a long time and with whom I've worked collaboratively for several years. Of the photographs I made there, this one seems to me to most convey the sense of magic that I felt in being there.




Name: Lorraine Healy
Location of the image: Wenatchee, Washington
Title: Wally’s House of Booze
Holga camera: Helga N camo
Film used: Kodak 160 expired
website: www.Lorrainehealy.com
I love old storefronts and old signs. I was on a weekend road trip in the Palouse area of WA, shooting with my goddaughter, who was visiting from Argentina. We spent the night in Wenatchee, WA, and on Sunday morning early we drove down the old downtown where we found this sign. It’s my favorite because of the vivid colors, the wacky name of the place, the ghost sign behind it, and because I had Fía at my side shooting like crazy




Melissa Federowicz
Black Rock City, Nevada
"And the Sun Sets Again"
Shot with 135 Holga & Agfa 400
unboredhands.blogspot.com
I've been going to Burning Man for years, shooting with my 120 & 135 Holgas in the harsh, dusty conditions. I've had the opportunities to grow as a photographer, artist and person throughout my experiences and challenges around this unique event & I am forever grateful for that. This photo was shot shortly before the man (in the background) was burned in 2016.




Alex Purcell
Swansea, Wales UK.
'Keep going'
Holga120N
HP5+ developed in Rodinal.
Instagram @grainyblur
I took this on Sunday, while trying to do most of my Christmas shopping in one day, without completely losing the plot. It's my favorite of the year, partly because it's my first intentional double exposure, and also because for me it captures how I was feeling about being held in a big city bursting with people, while wanting nothing more that to get out into open countryside. It was a successful shopping trip though, so i won't have to go back for a while




Name: David Perry
Location: Sydney, Australia
Camera: Holga 120 Pan
Film: Kodak Portra 400
This is one photo of a series on early-morning swimmers at a rock pool in Maroubra, Sydney, using 6x6 and 6x12 Holgas. I could only shoot this by holding the camera at arm's length over the water, so had no idea exactly where the camera was pointing. Part of shooting film, especially with a Holga, is the frisson engendered by having to wait a few days to get the film back from the lab. When I got this roll back I was amazed at how this shot turned out - the light, focus, composition and water dripping off the elbow all came together. The Muse of Holgas must have been smiling that morning.




Dave Wolanski
Dover, DE, USA
My Blog: www.davidwolanski.com
Picking my favorite photo from the year is nearly impossible, so I'll submit this one. I like it because its an interior of a church I've been going to in the Mississippi Delta for several years. It's flooded several times up to the windows, so, time will certainly take it's toll. The photo seems ageless too me, and I like the light and dark. I especially like the tendrils of the vine that are creeping in the one window. Nature will abide.



Name : Maki Tabusa
location : Tokyo Japan
title of image : a man looking out over the sea
Holga products : Holga 120 CFN
film used : Fuji Acros 100
my website : https://www.flickr.com/photos/136473385@N04/
I found the nice scenery when I walked with my dog on the beach in the evening, None but Holga can make this image.





Name: Martin Lealan
Location of photo: Castle Howard, Yorkshire, England
Title: Mrs Lealan goes on holiday (and the sun comes out).
Holga 120N
Ilford HP5 Plus 400
Five days of a blanket of cloud and mist. At 3:30 pm on the sixth day, the sun came out. I am not a photographer and this image explained to me what I do and don't like about my previous photos.





Name: Rachel Winslow
Location: Chicago, IL
Title: Magic Morning
Camera: Holga 120 Pinhole
Film: Lomo Xpro 200
Website: rachelwinslow.tumblr.com
I took this photo one winter morning in early 2016. I kept the shutter open the entire time it took me to drink my morning cup of tea.




Name: Randy Jennings
http://www.facebook.com/EverydayPeoplePolaroids/
http://www.facebook.com/HolgART
www.facebook.com/CapturedLivePhotography/
http://holgarts-world.BlogSpot.com
I have stepped away from my usual subject matter in 2016. Still shooting some Holga, but more Polaroid and 35mm, and yes even the dreaded "D" format. Unfortunately a necessary evil with the people I shoot. However this is my image for submission. I wanted to shoot a vampire themed shoot during October. My main concept was still with the Polaroid Big Shot. Of course, I had a Holga loaded and close at hand. I only shot a few frames with the Holga. After I applied the blood I had to work quickly to get my Polaroids shot. This is "Mistress of the Dark" Why is my favorite? I'm not going to lie to you, I like to photograph attractive women. :-)

Thank you everyone for your submissions!  Happy New Year! Wishing you and your Holgas all the best for 2017. 💜

- Jen

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

The Day My Holga Met Some Owls

If you follow me on Twitter, you might remember a few posts about owls back in the fall.

Me with a Holga TLR, and a very unimpressed owl


I attended a photography event that was sponsored by some of the big names in the business (Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm) where you could try out equipment and all of the latest gadgets.  We had the opportunity to get up close and personal with some birds of prey, and a few other creatures.   Well, because I'm me, instead of trying out the gear, I brought along my Holga and tried to see how close I could get to these magnificent creatures!

I have been sitting on these photos for a few weeks now, so I thought I should share a few.

I got pretty close with this one!

Being ignored again.....


It was a challenging experience because I knew that in order to get any half decent shots, I needed to get close!  Closer than you would expect, because as we all know, the Holga takes pictures a bit farther away than what you see in the viewfinder.  There was also a ton of people there shooting with lenses bigger than my head.  I am a huge animal lover and really loved having the chance to get so close to these beautiful and intimidating animals!

It was a good experience and I never regret taking my Holga along to these types of events!  I did bring my Nikon DSLR as well, but was too preoccupied with the animals to worry about trying out lenses.  I just shot with what I had (a kit lens).




 
And I got to visit a few other creatures as well!




Yup, thats right, I did this.
Big thanks to my friend and fellow photographer Sylvia for taking the photos of me!  Check out her work here!

Up next, I am working on a post about Lorraine Healy's book Tricks With a Plastic Wonder.  Come back in a few days for that.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jen

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Your Top Holga Photos of 2015! (part two)

Part two... because you are all so awesome!!  (See Part One here)



MJ Idzerda
London, Ontario, Canada
"Ruby"

Holga 120N 
Ruby was the official Store Dog at a local pet store in London Ontario's Wortley Village. The Holga was my first foray into toy cameras... leading me to become a local supporter of all things film and plastic camera!



Heather Harkins
Los Angeles, California,
"Lunch With Nancy Jean"
Holga 120N "Sunset Boulevard", Ilford HP5 Plus
I love this shot partly because it documents a really fun visit with my friend Nancy Jean, and also because the magic of a double exposure let us share the frame just like we shared a laugh over lunch.



Inge van Leipsig
Rotterdam, the Netherlands
"Rotterdam"
Holga 120WPC and Rollei RPX 25
This year, due to some personal and family stuff, I didn't have much time for photography. I did join a project called The Next Best Thing Pinhole Project (http://www.nextbestthingpinhole.com/), for which I had to shoot two pinholes every three months. This was one of the images for the project and I was very happy with how it turned out. It captures my hometown Rotterdam perfectly: old versus new architecture. It has the first European skyscraper on it, but also the new and experimental architecture Rotterdam is known for these days. It also shows one of the many harbours Rotterdam has.


Lorraine Healy
Freeland, WA
"Roy's , Amboy, California"
Holgapan 120 with 35mm insert, way, way expired Kodak film

www.Lorrainehealy.com
I took this on early February, during a Route 66 workshop with Dave Wyman. The reason why it's my favorite this year is I wasn't expecting much of putting old film through the Holgapan with the 35 mm, and this was the one good shot I got. I love how the shot matches the subject matter, Route 66.




Cynthia Lee
Nambour, Queensland Australia
"Back Streets of Nambour"
Holga 120N, Lomography Color Negative 120 film 800

www.cynthialee.com.au
There are local spots I like to walk around with my camera - because there is always something interesting. This image is at the back of PSYC gym and street artist are free to paint the walls. This day there wasn't a lot of great work, looked like young kids that found spray cans in mum and dads shed and a random school chair also been tagged.



Greg Calvert
Liberty Island, New York City
"Lower Manhattan from Liberty Island"
Holga 120N on Portra 400, processed & scanned by North Coast Photo

gregcalvert.com
Lower Manhattan glistens on a brisk winter morning as I played tourist with visiting parents and in-laws, preparing to move to the west coast.  Although it's only a year old and far from remarkable, it feels nostalgic.




Csaba Kovacs
Budapest, Hungary
Moon above the Hungarian Parliament (Lunargraphy)
Holga WPC 120 (pinhole), Kodak Tmax 100

csaba-kovacs.com
I am pinhole photographer and I like the long exposures. My favorite Holga photo is a lunargraph. This photo made about 4.5 hours in this year's spring from the famous Hungarian Parliament. I try to show the place's an other face in the night with the move Moon. I love my Holga pinhole camera and enjoy the photography with it!




Pablo Jones
Chicago, IL
Fly a Kite
Holga 120S with Kodak Ektar 100, developed by www.oldschoolphotolab.com
Taken at a spring Kite Festival in Chicago. I love the way the composition turned out; I have the 6x4.5 mask which makes framing with the square viewfinder notoriously difficult.



Michael Sturgess
London, UK
Photo location: Dolo, Italy
"The Fisherman"
Holga 135BC + Fuji C200
www.michaelsturgess.com

Whilst on holiday in Venice Italy I went to Padova for a day. On the way back to Venice my friend and stopped off at Dolo for some ice cream. We wandered down to the old mill and saw a man fishing. I took one photo with the Holga and I was about to get my compact digital camera out of my pocket to take a photo but the fisherman had walked back up the mill. We then went and had some lovely ice cream before the drive back to Venice.  It's my favorite I've taken this year because it was of the moment.



Armin Oehmke
Location: my bathroom
"Quell"
Holga CNF on Rollei RPX400, 
Developed in HC110. Lithprint on Agfa Brovira -Speed BS310RC
Craig Coss

Arrowhead Junction, California

"Desert Rail"

Deluxe Stealth Waist Level Holga loaded with Fuji Pro 400H
I purchased my first Holga in the spring of 2015 and by December I owned four. This image is the third picture from my very first roll and is the reason I am now hooked.



Naomi Goggin
London
Untitled
Holga 120N, Kodak Trix 400

www.naomigoggin.com
Amy, the bride, had just said this was her favourite time of day, in the late afternoon light. This is one of so many favourites from my first year with this camera. An unpredictable and magical beast.




Ale Di Gangi
Florence (Italy)
"There still is life on this planet"
Holga 120GN + Lomography Turquoise

http://aledigangi.com
After a couple of years of mobile and instant only, I finally resumed Holga and Lc-a shooting this last summer, in occasion of a vacation in Sicily. When I had the rolls developed, I realized all the harm that digital shooting has done to me, mainly due to absent-mindedness brought by "automated shooting". This photograph of three people on a beach is my favourite of this year because it comprehends all the flaws that I so dearly missed - and that I have learned to never want to miss again. These are what I call "natural" flaws (as opposed to "artificial" ones you can build on a mobile device): the warmth of the film, the distortion of the lens, the precariousness of film.
Let's Holga on.



Lisa Shea
Blithewold Mansion, Bristol RI
"Sailboat"
Holga 120N with black and white film
I enjoy shooting Holga in a variety of styles – color, black and white, 35mm, redscale, and more. It’s always hard to choose just one favorite, but I love the shadows and serenity of this image.




David Wolanski
Dover, DE (photo taken in Mississippi)
"Delta Rainbow"
Holga 120 N, Modified by Randy Smith, Holgamods, Portra film
This is one of my favorites because I was driving past this site in the Mississippi Delta and saw the colors and light and quickly backed up to park and do some photos. The light lasted barely a few minutes and was gone as quickly as it came. I drove back by the location a day later and it was just a drab mess.



Todd Schlemmer
Seattle, WA
"Captain Twilight"
Holga 120N, Velvia 50, el cheepo flash

https://www.flickr.com/photos/theschlem/albums
I had promised that I would take a photo of the engine captain at station 5. We had been busy all day, but some time after dinner we had time to go outside and snap this before we were dispatched to a house fire. Velvia 50 is a daylight film, but I had my Holga loaded with it.  I had the flash in my bag and stuck it on the Holga as an experiment. ​This is one of my favorite portraits.



Howard T. Calb
Somewhere between Amersfoort and Apeldoorn (highway A1 in Holland)
"Following the truck for 280 meters in 10 seconds"
Holga 120PC, Audi A4, Fuji NPC160 (expired 2004)

http://thetoadmen.blogspot.nl
I shot this image on Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day (WPPD-2015) on April 26th, 2015.
I like to use (expired) Fuji NPC 160 film for my colour pinhole photography. I use several home build pinhole cameras, but also often just carry my two Holga Pinhole cameras for 6x6 and 6x12 format. These are fine cameras and easy to use.
On my way home, I placed the pinhole camera on the dashboard of my car, tripped the shutter while driving 100 kmh and kept it open for about ten seconds.


Martina Kettner
Linz, Austria
"Death Valley"
Holga 120 GFN, Ilford 100 Delta Pro
I took this picture in February 2015 at the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes in Death Valley - which is one of my favorite places on earth. I was surprised that the picture turned out well because of the slow film speed and the fact that I took the picture in the late afternoon. The light was quite dim already.


Katie Mollon
Michigan, USA
"Shores of Lake Superior"
Holga 120FN - Portra 400

www.analogdreamer.com
Every summer we meet up with our Minnesota & Wisconsin cousins somewhere between us: this year was Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.  It was my first time playing in Lake Superior.  I loved the way the colors of the tourists & rusting dock were playing off of the swirling waters, so I double-exposed that with a shot of driftwood, which is always one of my favorite subjects.  I love the way my Holga always leaks in just the right amount of light along the edges!




Gary LeBouton
Wautoma WI
"At The Fair"
Holga 120S, Ilford HP5 developed in Pyro
It was created this past summer at the Waushara County Fair. Every year I try to create at least 12 images with Holga 120 S.




Daniel Rock
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
"Imagine Peace"
Holga WPC 120, Lomo XR 50/200 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rockpowered/
I was inspired by the table top placed outside the building that had Imagine Peace painted in bold lettering. It's my favourite not just because of the striking composition, as indeed it was my first image captured on my first Holga purchased some few months ago. It's sad to see that I caught the wave so late, awesome I get to ride it.





(And finally, mine.  Which I have shared already but figured it would be a good way to close off the post.  I shot a lot more film in 2015 but for various reasons did not have time to get it developed.  I should have some more work to share in a few weeks!)

Thanks for stopping by and thank you to everyone who submitted.  I was truly blown away by the number of submissions, and the quality of the work.

Long live the Holga!

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