MEDIUM FORMAT FILM PHOTOGRAPHY: HOLGA 120MM

If you're interested in exploring medium format film photography but don't want to break the bank, the Holga 120mm is a great place to start. The body of the camera is completely made up of plastic, making this an affordable choice for beginners. This plastic camera has become a cult classic among photographers and is known for its unique, dreamy images. This was my first medium format camera, and has been so fun to experiment with!

GETTING STARTED

To get started with the Holga, you'll need the camera itself, 120mm film, and a basic understanding of photography. The Holga is a fully manual camera, so you'll need to set the aperture and shutter speed yourself. Don’t let this scare you! There are only two aperture options - sunny and cloudy - and two shutter speed options - 1/100 and bulb, which means you don’t have to get caught up with ton of different settings that you aren’t familiar with, but still gives you a couple of options to play around with. There are also two different mask options: 12 shots at 6x6 ratio or a 16 shots at a 6x4.5 ratio. This way you can tailor your photoshoots to how you want to utilize your film!

SHOOTING WITH YOUR HOLGA

Once you have your brand new camera loaded with film and settings dialed in, you can finally start shooting. The Holga has a fixed lens with a focal length of 60mm and an aperture of f/8. This doesn’t give you a whole lot of room to play around with sharp images from far away, but don’t be afraid to get creative with distance and focus! This is one of my favorite ways to get interesting images.

One of my favorite things about shooting with the Holga is the element of surprise. The plastic lens and light leaks can add a layer of emotion to your images that a traditional 120mm film camera can’t. Embrace the flaws and let your creativity run wild!

DEVELOPING & SCANNING

After you've finished shooting your roll of film, you'll need to have it developed and scanned. You can either do this yourself, or take it to a professional lab. If you're new to film photography, it's a good idea to have it professionally developed until you get the hang of it.

Once you have your negatives, you can either scan them yourself or have the lab scan them for you. This will give you digital copies of your images that you can edit and share online.

& THERE YOU GO!

The Holga 120mm is a fun and affordable way to dip your toes into the world of medium format film photography, and I always recommend this camera to beginners. Embrace the imperfections and experiment with different settings and techniques! This is how I have gotten some of my favorite images. So go out there and try it out!

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