Inspired by Casey’s Framed Fractions, I purchased a Holga 135 from the FourCornerStore.
In past photo experiments I used SLR and digital cameras. They easily answered my biggest questions:
- Where is the edge of the frame?
- What object is in focus?
The Holga is a simpler camera. So simple that it unasks my primary questions. The camera provides neither precise framing nor accurate focus. The viewfinder, wholly independent of the lens, provides only a good estimate of the films edge. The lens offers only a primitive guide for the focus. The Holga’s lack of immediate feedback has led me to an easy-going “best guess” philosophy when pressing the shutter release.
Free of my usual questions, my brain has discovered some obvious new ones. I now question the most obvious subject for this artform: light! The camera is a light-capturing device. I now have all new questions when walking with the camera:
- How much light is there here?
- What speed is the film?
- How much contrast is there in foreground and background light?
As a musician, I’ve felt sensitive to sound for years. I’m excited to be more aware of another wave (and particle) in my environment. And I’m excited to share some of the artifacts of this awareness.
film speed ISO 100