2012-11-16



Publication Date: October 11, 2006 | ISBN-10: 0240808401 | ISBN-13: 978-0240808406 | Edition: First Edition

Take a tour of the burgeoning world of toy cameras and low-tech photography with Plastic Cameras: Toying with Creativity. Whether you're an experienced enthusiast or toy camera neophyte, you'll find Plastic Cameras: Toying with Creativity chock full of tantalizing tips, fun facts and, of course, absolutely striking photographs taken with the lowest tech and simplest tools around.

I got me a Holga. Now What?

Holgas need a little TLC before they're ready to go out in the world and start snapping. Plastic Cameras: Toying with Creativity digs through all the different Holga models available, lays out thier advantages and quirks and helps you get up to speed on all the prep you'll need to do to jump in on the toy-camera revolution.

What should I Feed my Holga?

Holgas, Dianas, other toy cameras can use many types of film. Plastic Cameras: Toying with Creativity, lays all their pros and cons on the line letting you get some images you want, and some you could just never imagine.

Can Holga come out to play?

Plastic Cameras: Toying with Creativity will help you steer your way through all the details and quirks of taking wonderful and weird pictures with your toy camera. We'll explore possible subjects and the best way to shoot them and play with all sorts of techniques from vignetting, to multiple exposures, to panoramas, close-ups, movement, night photography, flare, flash, color and more.

For the Intrepid Holga-ographer

For the Holga master, we've diagramed and described advanced toy camera modifications and introduce you to a variety of problems, solutions and inventions born from toy cameras' "limitations.”

What Next?

From negatives to prints or pixels, we help you navigate your post-shooting choices.

Don't Forget

The Diana, Banner, Action Sampler, Photo Blaster, and Lensbaby are all toy cameras with their own loveable qualities. We'll look beyond the Holga to show a whole wide world of toys.

Artists Artists in this book include:

Michael Ackerman

Jonathan Bailey

Eric Havelock-Baillie

James Balog

Betsy Bell

Susan Bowen

Laura Burlton

David Burnett

Nancy Burson

Perry Dilbeck

Jill Enfield

Annette Fournet

Megan Green

Wesley Kennedy

Teru Kuwayama

Mary Ann Lynch

Anne Arden McDonald

Daniel Miller

Ted Orland

Robert Owen

Becky Ramotowski

Nancy Rexroth

Francisco Mata Rosas

Richard Ross

Franco Salmoiraghi

Michael Sherwin

Harvey Stein

Gordon Stettinius

Mark Sink

Kurt Smith

Sandy Sorlien

Pauline St. Denis



Michelle Bates has been photographing with Holga cameras since 1991, and since then has become known as the "Holga Queen." She exhibits her images worldwide, and lectures and teaches about mastering toy cameras at photo centers, universities, conferences and photo festivals around the United States.
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