Comments on: Regaining Your Photo Mojo with Cheap, Quirky Cameras

By: William Lawrence

William Lawrence — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:03:42 +0000

I loves me some cheap cameras, including the obligatory pinhole camera I had to make in school. The Holga was the best, though. I had a flash on it walking through the cemetery in Ft Worth where Lee Harvey Oswald is buried with an old man search for the headstone that reads just OSWALD on Halloween back in 1999.

I took the film to get developed, as I was not with resources at the time to do it myself, by a Dodge Color. The dude who process the film was on his last day working there and he left the film in the fixer overnight. And all the images were gone. I was a bit peeved.

Anyway, the point is, I know that they would have been great photos, just like all the others. Thanks for writing this article.

By: Nick Whitmoyer

Nick Whitmoyer — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:03:44 +0000

Thanks for the inspiration! I definitely need to break out my Holga once again and continue adding to my collection:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nickwhitmoyer/tags/holga/

By: Ben Minehart

Ben Minehart — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 19:33:05 +0000

Nice article, Mr. Garber. I miss the days of spontaneous photo walks through DC and getting stranded in wintry weather while shooting night photography. Couldn’t agree with you more about the character and the surprises one gets when shooting film with a clunky old camera.

By: Jason Garber

Jason Garber — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 19:05:13 +0000

@Martin Thank you, sir. I’ve considered underwater photography, but all of the kits for DSLRs are way out of my budget. What kind of results are you getting from the Kodak single use you linked up?

@Travis Great write up (and beautifully designed site!) on the AE-1. My dad picked up an AE-1 from a friend of his for me to shoot with during high school photography and it’s one of my favorite cameras to date. If they’re kept in good shape, they’ll last a lifetime.

By: Jason Garber

Jason Garber — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 18:05:57 +0000

@Jon Definitely! For me half the fun is finding the hidden or unexpected gems that you end up with on your processed roll. I don’t at all remember taking this photo in NYC, but it’s one of my favorites:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jgarber/2479058490/in/set-820098/

There’s also a big shoot-from-the-hip Holga/LOMO scene, as well. The fourth Yumeka DX-3 photo in the article is a shoot-from-the-hip and it turned out better than if I’d been aiming for something.

By: Jason Garber

Jason Garber — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 17:41:29 +0000

@Dan It’s always a welcome occasion getting out from behind the computer and out into the big, scary “real” world!

@Nguyet I get all my developing done at Penn Camera (the Tysons Corner, VA store). They have pretty quick turnaround and aren’t terribly expensive. I tend not to get prints, instead using a film scanner I picked up along the way. Cost of development is a definite consideration, but I haven’t found it to be prohibitive. The film itself ends up costing more than developing. As a result, I usually end up with less film on-hand and thus shoot fewer (but more thought out) photos than I would with a digital.

Thanks to both of you for the kind words!

By: Jon Chretien

Jon Chretien — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:57:22 +0000

Great post Jason. I’ve been fortunate enough to add a few high-end cameras to my collection (including recently a used Hasselblad), but my favorite one has to be my Holga. I bought it a few years back for $10, and went through a few rolls until I got the hang of it. It’s great for street photography, and I’ve sometimes had people come up and ask me about it. I also kind of like not knowing exactly how a shot is going to turn out until I pick it up from the lab. Sometimes you get some great results.

By: Travis Gertz

Travis Gertz — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:44:05 +0000

Yes! I've been on a similar kick lately. It's amazing how much a few limitations can completely change the way you view the world.

By: Nguyet

Nguyet — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:43:12 +0000

I love that you embrace the faulty nature of these cameras and take advantage of their imperfections.

Questions: where do you get your films developed? and even though these are cheap cameras, does the development costs trump your experience or limit how many photographs you take? If money is no object, I’d go back to film photography in a heart beat.

Great article Jason. Can’t beat finding a old camera for a $1 at flea markets.

By: Martin Ringlein

Martin Ringlein — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:35:31 +0000

Nice write-up Jason, making me want to go out side and play with some cameras. I've been enjoying your flickr set recently, definitely some really nice work there. I personally like working with the Kodak SSUC, stunning piece of 21st technology.