I first discovered the fantastic world of plastic cameras on a trip to the USA during a few months break from studying. Prior to my travels, I had been thinking for quite a while about how excellent it would be if I could find a point and shoot camera that took medium format film. I was attracted to medium format film initially because of its square format and the size and quality of the negatives.Back in late 2000 I was wandering about the gift shop inside the Museum of Photographic Arts in San Diego when I first discovered the Holga 120S. In its generic packaging the blue and black box didn’t give much away except the vital specification I had been dreaming of – this camera took medium format film and all you had to do was point and shoot! Actually it took “12 – 16 pictures in Color or Black & White with its Optical lens” (they are indeed the best kind)!Testing it out later that day I was amazed by the sparkling quality and vibrant colors of my images and their transformation from regular holiday happy snap to vibrantly colored impression of the places I had visited. These images seemed to capture more than what was in front of the lens. The mood of the place, the atmosphere, was imprinted into the image too.I used my new Holga for the rest of my travels noticing that its basic looking plain exterior disguised its awesome photographic power. I was able to take photographs undisturbed by the usual attention that traipsing about with a large Nikon or Pentax might attract in some poorer countries. The Holga looks cheap by everyone’s standards while a fancier camera screams tourist.I came home from my travels inspired to use my Holga to create images as part of my Honors project. The images were based on the idea of the camera as a device for collecting moments in time, visual proof of an event having occurred – visual specimens to be catalogued later. In hindsight this is the motive behind many photographic works –to save the scene for contemplation at a later date.
From The Plastic Photo Show – The Book, Georgina Campbell. 2007
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