Learning

The Holga pictures which I've posted below are only the second lot of holga photographs I've processed. The first lot I did on Boxing Day two years ago after getting my new camera. Then I mislaid the holga in my flat. Any way it resurfaced a few months ago - luckily as my lomo is in need of repair. I've taken about 10 rolls since but have only had the money to process on roll. I took out the holga last week to photograph my Global AD as suggested by Michael Nobbs on an email group we are both on. In the end I didn't find anything I wanted to buy enough so didn't complete that part of the AD but did take photos of the two charity/secondhand shops I visited. I struggled changing the film looking at that view of the Castle before I could take a photo. It was so cold that day but unusually bright. I'm used to my lomo and the way it affects picture colours. I thought my holgas would have the same kind of intense colours. I didn't realise that they would come out so blurry and indistinct.

When I first got my lomo I put many many films in which never came out at all. Yes entire rolls of film came back blank. It was a long time before I got the feel for the mechanism and became at one with my lomo. I realise I'm at the same stage with my holga I'm going to have to go on a long learning curve with it. Being creative needs a learning curve often quite long where you allow yourself to 'waste' film and experiment and experiment and learn. Too many people have a low threshold for learning and never get to grips with a new technique or a skill as they sheer repetitiveness of getting something right is something they will not allow themselves some patience.

However my day of mixed results was lovely I walked around town soaked in sights, tried on a few items, enjoyed the fresh air, had tea and cheesecake, bought a glossy magazine. Learning can be pleasurable.

Finally if I remove my blinkers about what I think these pictures ought to look like and just look as them as they are - are they really that bad? Again we torture ourselves when creating but instituting in our heads a way our creations should be instead of accepting what we do create might be different but is it any lesser? I'm reminded of being in an edit suite and looking at what rushes are available. The worst attitude is to sit and say 'Why didn't we get X' but instead to work with what is there.