<<< o >>>rhowan meets the holga 18 comments + add yours
chromasia.com

I recently got hold of a new lens ;– taken from a Holga 120S and glued to a body cap – but haven't really had time to try it out, at least not seriously. I did spend some time snapping shots of Rhowan this morning though, and this is a heavily modified version of one of them (i.e. there's a lot of added blur in addition to the blur/soft-focus caused by the lens itself).

When I've got a bit more time I'll try and shoot some more material with it as I think it has a lot of potential, especially for portraiture.

As always, let me know what you think.

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11.29am on 19/7/08
Canon 5D
Holga 120S
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1/30
manual
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1x1
 
1x1 + children [portraits]
comment by Ash at 10:19 PM (GMT) on 19 July, 2008

It's lovely, very dreamlike (PS, saw the posting announcement on Twitter)

comment by djn1 at 10:20 PM (GMT) on 19 July, 2008

Thanks Ash: and I'm glad to see that Twitter has its uses :-)

comment by Josef Renklint at 10:36 PM (GMT) on 19 July, 2008

Angel-like. Amazing fadeout into the background.

comment by marco's light opinion at 11:46 PM (GMT) on 19 July, 2008

That's very interesting, David. I'd be curious to see the straight shot from the lens, are you going to post it? And is the lens still able to focus once detached from the holga body?
Thank you for experimenting... ;)

comment by jkm at 03:36 AM (GMT) on 20 July, 2008

Gorgeous! Now was it the Holga experiment you used on the seagull in flight some time ago? Not sure if you ever shared the secret behind that shot.

comment by rhys at 09:09 AM (GMT) on 20 July, 2008

mmm, First a compact G9, next buying a Holga lens, mmm I think DJN is venturing back to the dark side- will we see some totally ANALOGUE shots in the near future?
Last week I ordered a Holga too.
Whats happening to us?

comment by Anne at 09:41 AM (GMT) on 20 July, 2008

Beautiful, the colours, the fairy-like look of Rhowan. I love it!

comment by micha at 01:22 PM (GMT) on 20 July, 2008

she looks like her mother so much in this pic.....love the way the background and the little lady becomes just one flat image. well done.

comment by djn1 at 09:00 PM (GMT) on 20 July, 2008

Thanks all.

Marco: I'm not going to post the original of this shot, and yes, the lens can still focus - though not especially well. It retains the same mechanism that it uses on the Holga, i.e. it rotates around a threaded collar.

jkm: yes, it's the same lens :-)

rhys: nothing is impossible, however unlikely :-)

micha: yes, they are quite similar, at least some of the time.

comment by Pete at 09:52 PM (GMT) on 20 July, 2008

I really like this - a wonderful ethereal quality to it.

comment by Mad.Photo.World at 07:31 PM (GMT) on 21 July, 2008

Hmmmm.. im gonna be a grumpy old man in this post - so just forgive me :)
I love my Holga (think im on my third). It has been funny to see how the Holga has evolved since it first reached the outskirts of this world.
Here's comes the grumpy part : Holga is sooo much more than putting a holga lense on a digital body. Holga is about being free from normal form. Holga is about not being sure of what you get, but still you press the shutter. Its about luck. Its about forgetting to do stuff and when you see the film: how did i ever get that capture. Holga is love - pure and simple.
Holga is my way back to sanity when the digital hdr photoshop lab technique becomes too much.
If you have never tried a real Holga, you do not know what you miss! Lucky you :)

comment by djn1 at 09:49 PM (GMT) on 21 July, 2008

Mad.Photo.World: I agree, sticking a Holga lens on a DSLR has very little to do with the ethos and spirit of shooting with a Holga, Diana, or any other low-budget film based camera, but there is still that same sense of "I'm not quite sure what I'm going to get with this shot". And while it's clearly not the same, it is fun, and I do think I'll be able to produce some worthwhile images at some point.

comment by claus at 11:03 AM (GMT) on 22 July, 2008

I have always had a thing for high key portraits, the softness and the way they seem to light up the room makes them so nice to look at!

comment by Ian Paterson at 08:29 PM (GMT) on 23 July, 2008

I too would love to see the original photo. Could you possibly post it somewhere?

comment by Mad.Photo.World at 10:00 PM (GMT) on 23 July, 2008

@djn1: Sure its fun and it can produce some interesting shots, but its not "x meets the holga" ;)

comment by Sara at 01:32 PM (GMT) on 25 July, 2008

Hi David...
Must have missed this photo earlier...DIVINE....
How different is the final image from the original...have you had to do much to it in p/shop?
Thanks,
Sara.

comment by cy at 04:46 PM (GMT) on 29 July, 2008

wow. she looks just like an angel. i usually do not like the heavy white balance or burns but here is really works.

comment by Jezblog at 03:04 PM (GMT) on 14 September, 2008

You have an amazing collection of images of your children....... all these tighter high key portraits are so striking......... fantastic

Cheers Jez XX