How to take panoramic photos with a Holga camera

Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills / Holga 120 panorama

Unlike panoramas taken with other cameras, with a Holga there’s no need to stitch the images together on the PC; the whole “stitching” thing is done directly on the negative.
Holga panoramas are made simply by turning the advance knob only one turn after taking the first picture. By doing so the second picture will overlap the first image, the third will overlap the second and so on.
There are mainly two ways of making Holga panoramas; you can stand in one place and just shift your body between images or you can move sideways between images keeping your camera at the same level. One important thing to remember is to take the panorama images from left to right.
And also don’t forget it’s a Holga! In other words, the panorama doesn’t have to be perfect; actually it’s probably better that it isn’t.

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Shooting 35mm film with a Holga

Funny thing happened to me yesterday when I picked up my film from the lab. They apologized and said that sadly two of my negatives were blank or just didn’t develop right and therefore they didn’t charge me for the two. Obviously I was disappointed but oh well, this is the risk of the trade, so I just took the negatives home. But before tossing the failed negatives away I placed them over a light table, you know, just to be certain, and sure enough the negatives looked quite weird with light leaks all over the place but I could definitely see a few faint images… So I scanned the negatives and was pleasantly surprised to discover these soft beautiful images of the east side of Hollywood.
The camera these “failed” negatives were taken with was a modified Holga that was adapted to accept 35mm film and make some cool pictures. The best thing about this Holga modification is that the original Holga’s medium format exposure area is larger than a 35mm which means that the entire negative is exposed including the sprockets. Also since the 35mm does not fit tightly the images often come out very soft with lots of light leaks.
Modifying your Holga to accept 35mm is actually quite a simple modification and there are plenty of easy tutorials on how to get it done available on youtube. Check it out.

If you don´t have a film scanner then DiY

One thing that I love about film photography is the magic involved with the chemicals to revel what your eyes see against your camera.

I always try to experiment with film, you never know when it is going to end with, last year I created a pinhole panoramic camera I ended with 6 photos from one 120mm film of 6 x 12, a lot of fun. But my problem was in fact that my scanner does not support 120mm film even the new 6×12 frame photo of my pinhole camera.

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So I did a little search on flickr and find a cool solution. I did my own film scanner so, my option only to be able to show my experiments was to take a photo from the film. So I created a film scanner using a shoe box I cut the hole and add a 6×6 and 6×12 mask, cut a hole in the top for the flash, and then add some paper to diffuse the light.

Here is the inside of the box, I added 2 layers of wax paper to diffuse the light.

You only need to take a photo of the film and then in Ligtroom or Photoshop invert the colors and have fun. Now  you can get a digital copy of your film experiments. This work for me, I know It may not be the best but to share on flickr works fantastic.

Here is one of my experiments using the DiY film scanner

I hope you enjoy this tip, I originally wrote this post on my blog but its in Spanish so I thought it will be cool sharing here the tip. If you need help you can leave a comment on my blog or on my flickr.

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Things you can do with a Holga #1

QUICK INTRO
For just a few dollars you can get yourself a plastic camera that will truly make it possible for you to break free of the restrictive correctness in photography.
The Holga, often branded as a “toy camera, takes 120mm film type and produces 12 6cmX6cm or 16 4.5cmX6cm medium format exposures per roll and has a large fan base among the photography community.
This toy camera, manufactured in China, was originally produced to offer an inexpensive solution for working-class Chinese to take family portraits, until it was discovered and revived by fine-art photographers in the west.
It is a simple camera with a 60mm fixed plastic lens and a few basic adjustments that quite doubtfully accomplish anything.
There are a number of variations on the original 120S version such as the Holga 120FN which has a flash or the 120GN type that has a glass lens.
The Holga can be modified in a number of ways, for example; it can be adapted to receive 35mm film or even turned into a pinhole camera.
One of the best traits of this innocent looking toy is that there are no focus or f-stop settings to hassle with; therefore it is not only easier to shoot on the move but it also makes the Holga a camera that can liberate the photographer from the obligation to pursue precision and perfection that are often essential in traditional photography.
The Holga produces beautiful, distinctive looking images that are especially soft and are framed with dark and blurry vignette.

TAKE OFF YOUR MASK
If you wish to make the famous 6X6 Holga square format photos make sure to remove the mask insert, otherwise your photos will be 6 X 4.5 format.
Some people tape their Holga all over the place with light-tight black tape in order to prevent the inevitable light leaks that the Holga is proudly famous for. However, some people see the light leaks as part of the Holga’s charm and will refuse to tape their Holga. It very much a matter of preference .
However, it is a good idea to tape the sides of the back cover as it has tendency to come apart exactly at the wrong moment (i.e. when shooting).

SHOOTING 35MM FILM IN YOUR HOLGA
You can modify the Holga to accept 35mm film and make some uniquely cool pictures. Many websites including youtube have good information and instruction videos on this fun adjustment.
When shooting 35mm film in your Holga, you will need to adjust your shooting method and remember you are taking horizontal, panoramic-like images through a square viewfinder.
Another matter to overcome is advancing to the next frame without actually seeing the frame’s number in the red window (which you will need to tape over anyway). The solution is to turn the knob 1 1/2 turns between every exposure.

DOUBLE EXPOSURE
One of the Holga’s most recognized feature is the double exposure. As the Holga does not have an automatic advance mechanism, the double exposure is just bound to happen, especially by the over-excited beginner.
So when you do create a double exposure with a Holga accidentally, don’t despair or view it as a waste. Instead, simply enjoy the unexpected results, which can turn out unique and intriguing.
And of course, if you do like the unpredictability of double exposure you can always purposely double (or even triple) expose for your delight by exposing your film twice (or more) before advancing to the next photo.

Why do you even photograph?

This was not planned or anticipated in any way when I began taking pictures, but now, I find the main benefit of photography for me is that every picture takes me flying back in time not only to the event or occasion, no, my going back in time is much deeper than the usual picture-memory association. My pictures take me into a dark forgotten locked channel of awareness that otherwise would have stayed locked forever. If you experienced it you know what I’m talking about.

But this is merely the value of photography; this is not why I photograph.
The main reason I take pictures, and will always take pictures, is that I love this place.
And because I love this place I want to illustrate and forever preserve its existence, the truth and the depth of it which I’m grateful I’ll never understand.
But don’t let big words fool you; it is a lot simpler than it sounds

And I have faith in you, my dear two readers; I have no doubt you can come up with a better explanation to an otherwise perplexing drive we have to photograph everything around us.

Downtown San Francisco. Holga. inkjet transfer