Holga, A Love Story

One of my favorite classes in college was my Medium Format class I took my sophomore year.  There was only one assignment: take photos of whatever you want with a Holga camera.  This was the class where I really got into the groove of developing my own film and learning darkroom techniques.

You really have to use your imagination when shooting on a $20 camera made of plastic.  Light leaks, natural blur, and color shifts occur.  And since everything is manual, it’s also easy to make double exposures either by choice or accident.

I sold my Holga when I graduated. Although I was still in love with this toy camera and it’s ability to take perfectly imperfect images, I really had no clue when I would be in a darkroom again.  And the cost of processing 120 film is extraordinarily expensive, so I felt like it would be put to better use in someone else’s hands.

Fast forward to 2012, when I had really decided to fully pursue photography.  I started craving a Holga again.  I found one on Amazon for $18 (don’t buy a $60 one from Urban Outfitters– it’s a rip off). I ordered some film along with and and decided to start shooting with it as a supplement to my focus on digital photography.

I finished several rolls of film over the course of the past year. I took my Holga with me when the situation was special, but taking my 5d along wouldn’t have been the best choice.  I developed all the film in one go this week, and I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome.  Here are some of my favorites– a trip to Six Flags, camping, a horseback ride in Hawaii, and a dear friend’s wedding. And the best part was, everything was scanned and digitized so I never had to step foot in a dark room!

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Big Kahuna Matata

Anthony and I went to Hawaii last month and I’m just now getting around to posting some pictures.  We stayed at Halemano on Maui, one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.  The photos don’t really do this place justice.  If you ever get a chance to go to Hawaii, take the road to Hana in Maui to this little oasis.

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Photos by CLB Creative and AC Puke

Kern River Camping

There’s no better place to go to clear your mind than in nature.  It just so happened that my friends and I planned a camping trip just when I needed to clear my mind the most.  We picked a spot up in Kern County.  The weekend trip included a beautiful hike along the river and a relaxing afternoon soaking in a natural hot spring.

During the weekend, we saw a bald eagle, a low flying helicopter, and had perfect Spring-like weather (not bad for February!).  We even met a Native American man and his partner– I can only describe her as the human embodiment of Mother Nature.  We talked with them a while, they prayed and chanted to the North South East and West and were more in tune with nature than any of us were in our pinky toes.  As we left, they wished us, “Enjoy your journey.”  THANKS, MOTHER NATURE, WE WILL.

Here are some snaps from the weekend.  I was really enamored with the reflections in the river and the scenery of our campsite was just phenomenal.  And the rock that had my initials graffitied on it?  Priceless.

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