Holgas and GAS

I don’t think most folks care what I take their photos with. I won’t bore you with details. I bring enough toys to do the job right. The final images will rock!

I will tell you a story though. Like other photographers with GAS (Gear Aquistion Syndrome) I have a lot of cameras. A lot. Most of which I paid next to nothing for because they’re old school film cameras, or junky plastic toy cameras. Many of which were given to me by folks who just didn’t want their old gear to go to waste! (Feel free to pass on any cameras sitting in your closet. I love those old film cameras!)  Last year I got a top of the line Canon digital camera, the 5 D Mark II. It’s amazing. I can do stuff with it that I couldn’t dream of doing with my earlier digital cameras. For Christmas I got 2 Holga cameras.  The Holgas are cheap plastic toy cameras (about $29. Seriously)  that use a type of film that most folks have never seen. The images from them are often blurry and have light leaks and other technical faults. But, they tell stories and give me the timeless look I like. My wife asked me what I liked about the Holgas. When I said they get soft, dreamy images she said “we just dumped a ton of money into that sharp camera and you like these because they’re soft???” Spouses don’t understand GAS.

When I’m on a shoot, I often look like one of those camera geeks in the movies. More than one camera around my neck, with straps tangled. Oh well…

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