Random Camera Blog: October 2026

Thursday, October 01, 2026

It's Holga Week!

It’s Holga Week, from October 1-7, and it’s a good time to shoot with that plastic-fantastic camera. I’ve used Holgas since about 2002, and over time, I have figured out that it does not pay to obsess trying to get a “perfect” image from them. You cannot get perfection from an imperfect device, but you can get satisfaction. A Holga is a great way to take a photograph and be “in the moment” with it. You come to appreciate its imperfections and are more aware of having a good composition over whether or not every other aspect is “perfect.” You can’t control the shutter speed, and the aperture selection is pretty minimal. But used in the right lighting with a film of 200-400 ISO, you will get something.

Some people ask if the Holga is a good way to start in Medium Format. I think it’s a good way to start with photography, period. It lets you focus on what’s in front of you, and yes, you are going to make mistakes - such as not understanding the red window for the frame counter, having it set on Bulb instead of Normal, etc., but since the Holga 120N has a tripod socket now and with B and N settings, you can take long exposures to make up for low-ISO films, low light, and so on. Consider the Holga to be a pathway into making images with an impact. They have a special quality that can make them stand out from the mundane digital perfection of a scene. With 12 square images per roll, you try to make each one special.

If you want to see what can be done with a Holga, check out Michael Kenna’s fantastic work in his book HOLGA. Also, check out the images from Neal Wellons on Flickr, who routinely uses a Holga for infrared photography.

Last year, I took one of my Holgas along on a trip to Arizona, and shot a few odd Lomography films. Oddball films re perfect with an oddball camera. Here are a few examples.