The Snow Globe Effect

(snapped in January, 2011- using a Holga 120)

Oh mah gosh oh mah gosh oh...mah...GOSH! Lemme tell ya' somethin' - the instant I lifted my Holga 120 out of the box, and gently pulled my new baby from its packaging - I could swear that I heard an angel choir singing. Right from the first second I laid eyes on the little darling - I loved each and every single thing about it...from its goofy, klunky appearance, to the simple machine that it appeared to be. I relished winding the wide roll of film onto the spool, and carrying the derned thing - not in my pocket - but around my neck...which curiously enough - made me feel eerily like a "real" photographer...*cough*  

(Snapped in January, 2011 - using a Holga 120)

I hurriedly skimmed over the manual, making sure that I at least knew the basics, before heading outdoors to test the sucker out. I started by taking a few pics. in my yard, and then retraced my steps to that reliable, old farm up the street...

(Snapped in January, 2011 - using a Holga 120)

Right away it was clear, that the approach to this type of photography was the antithesis of that which I'd grown accustomed, during the time that I'd spent snapping digital self-portraits. For starters (and I'd already gotten a taste of this with my Holga 135) I was looking at my subjects with one eye pressed against a tiny viewfinder, instead of setting up and reviewing innumerable shots - from a distance on a comparatively sizable screen. Additionally, I did not have the luxury of zooming in on a subject, and so I had to move myself in order to (try and) make things fit squarely in the frame. Because I didn't have the option of cropping after the fact - it was critical that I pay close attention to how things looked through the window, before pressing the shutter button...gone were the decadent days of snapping willy nilly.

(Snapped in January, 2011 - using a Holga 120)

The very idea that at the most - I had 12 frames on of each roll of 120 film - made me behave as if I'd had a governor placed on my trigger-happy finger. Lo-fi photography (it seemed) was an exercise in restraint, and those of you who know me - also know that restraint is definitely not my strongest suit. I was already well aware that film wasn't cheap, and was bracing myself for the damages that processing would incur...so it practically goes without saying, that each snap felt far more precious than any digital picture I'd ever taken. And so - when I did stupid things like - LEAVE THE LENS CAP ON, trust me...the expletives issued forth, were most likely heard at the far reaches of Clarke County...

(Snapped in January, 2011 - using a Holga 120)

...and you thought I was excited when I got my Holga 120 - Ha! Ya' shoulda seen me when the first set of 120 pics. arrived...LAWD! I coulda sworn that I heard the angel choir singing again...and trumpets blaring...and harps being strummed! I was even more tickled with the miniature, square pics., than I ever imagined I would be. Everything I'd hoped for was there...from the tight, detailed center...to the fisheye-like blurring...to those coveted burnt-out, black corners...'twas a serendipitous occasion, I tell you...I could feel a new obsession coming on...