Some cool photo gifts images:
Free Gift Close Up
Image by Vampire Bear
Close up view of our free gift that was sent to us by our stationary supplier.
We're going to pat him and pet him and call him George!
Best! Thank-You Gift! EVER!
Image by andyi
Gave a talk to Washington Apple Pi this morning and received the greatest thank-you gift ever: a Holga 120 rollfilm camera.
It is made of plastic and has many imperfections and no technical superlatives of any kind. But it's become a cult camera because -- like so many of us -- it has a winning personality and thus people tend to reclassify its faults as mere Quirks.
Quirks of the Chinese-made Holga include: a cheap, distortive lens that vignettes the corners of the frame and a poorly-designed back that leaks light. This kit actually includes a roll of electrical tape. The instructions urge you to tape down the two AA batteries that power the flash and to strap the camera with it to tighten the back a little better.
The group presented it to me after my talk and I couldn't have been more delighted. I took a seat while the rest of the meeting continued. Thennnn...
...I noticed that film was included in the box.
I am a weak man. So yes, I unwrapped the cellophane and tried to assemble the camera and load it up as quietly as I could. There was no way I was leaving there without Holga shots of the group.
Here, let me show them to you:
Oh.
It's on film.
I have to send it out and wait for the prints to come back.
Well, we can look forward to that, then.
Apple Pi went to the top of the range and bought me the Holga 120CFN, with built-in flash AND integrated color flash filters. Twist the knob up at the top and and Red, Blue, and Yellow filters rotate into position to color the flash light.
(I have just had a discussion with the friend I'm staying with -- a scientist -- about whether this thingy is Filtering the light or Tinting it.)
(I have some really awesome friends.)
I'm going to have a lot of fun with this (for the next 12 exposures, at least). The whole point of the Holga is to return to the days of fun, snapshot photography. If there's no chance of producing a clear image free from defects, you can dispense with the Lust For Perfection and just take some damned pictures.
Check out the manual right here.
Damn, I've spent almost an hour engrossed in the Holga FAQ, and a set of instructions for how to use the Holga lens on a DSLR, and a Holga group on Flickr, and...
...Okay I'm clearly going to be up for a while. You kids go play.
