Twenty Years of Holgas

 

Yes, this is a pitch for my latest issue of Monochrome Mania!  First of all, when I started Monochrome Mania in 2020, I had no idea that I would be publishing a 12th issue just a few years later.  Yes, for me, it's my creative outlet, and more importantly, I'm able to reach many more people with a zine than with a gallery showing.  

Twenty Years of Holgas actually started in about 2001, when I got my first Holga.  But, it really was not until 2003 that I was using one to create memorable images.  I don't care what camera that you use, but it takes some time before you are really proficient with it. With a Holga, that means accepting its limitations, but also knowing when you can push it beyond the "snapshot" with technique, choice of film, and subject choice.

In preparing this issue, I reviewed many hundreds of negatives from my Holgas. Luckily, I had almost all of them scanned in previously when I was working on the medium format toy cameras for MM No. 3, which is now out of print.  Still, reducing 20+ years of photos down to less than 50 images is a feat.   It's not like I have shot with a Holga every day every year, either. I was most prolific with the Holga between 2007-2010, and there are a few years that I hardly shot with it.  Nevertheless, the Holga  is still a camera that gives me wonderful results in certain situations, and I continue to use it.   Could this be a prelude to a larger work?  Maybe.  I still have many stories to tell with toy cameras, and the Holga hasn't been the only instrument for that.

Here are a few samples from this latest issue.

Twenty Years of  Holgas is 48 pages, including the covers, and measures 8,5 x 8.5 inches. It's a quality print publication, done by Mixam.  

I have changed my shipping to USA-only.  International shipping now costs almost as much as the zine, and to be honest, it's a pain in the butt to ship internationally, as Etsy does not handle that aspect very well.  

  Here are a few images that did not make the zine issue.