First outing with Lomochrome Turquoise and the Holga 120N, 15 March 2023

About six months ago, in October 2022, I discovered the existence of Holga Week. I was really impressed with the images that artists were getting with this cheap toy camera and really wanted to participate. The only snag was, I didn’t have a Holga. I started searching on OLX, a popular classified ad site in

Three Cameras from 2022: My favourite experiences this year

With the encouragement of Stephen Dowling of Kosmo Photo, a group of camera bloggers were asked to write about three cameras they discovered in 2022 and what each one meant to them. Well, I thought, why should they have all the fun? So I came up with the three cameras that I most enjoyed using

Lo-Fi: Revisiting the images from the Bolta spool with expired Konica VX100 (c.2004)

Back in July I made a Bolta spool for the Ikkosha Start 35k with a 12 exposure cassette of Konica VX100 (expired 2004). After several failed attempts to produce a decent colour inversion I gave up and made a blog post with the images in black and white. Recently, some users on Twitter were talking

#ShittyCameraChallenge, #InstantRegret: a filter kit for the Kodak Handle

I wanted to explore further what could be obtained from the Handle, and one of the ideas I have is to use monochrome film and try to bump up the contrast with some filters.  Although I have a set of nice glass filters for making trichromes, and other coloured filters for enhancing contrast, that is

#ShittyCameraChallenge, #InstantRegret: multiple frames with the Kodak Handle

It was such a lovely day that it was a shame to waste the light. So I loaded #theHandle with three Instax Square films and set out to make a triptych.  The Instax mounts have to be loaded into the cassette in a specific order, otherwise they won’t work, and somehow when I was loading

ShittyCameraChallenge, #InstantRegret: the Kodak Handle lives!

Following my recent failed attempt to get a working image from the Handle I had a breakthrough. A neighbour has a number of original Kodak instant prints and was kind enough to lend me one. Comparing the Kodak film with a piece of Instax Square film showed that modern Instax is about half the thickness

#ShittyCameraChallenge, #InstantRegret: Using the Kodak EK2 instant camera with Instax Square film

Although I was disappointed with my first attempt to get something from the Kodak EK2 (hereafter known as, ‘The Handle’), I remained undeterred. Looking at the original frame it was clear that the chemicals has not spread evenly across the film. I thought the blue patch at the top of the frame might have been

#OldCameraChallenge, Making a Bolta spool for the Ikko Sha Start 35k

Today I started making myself a Bolta spool for the Ikko Sha Start 35k from a 12 exposure cassette of Konica VX100 35mm film (expired in 2004). The Ikko Sha takes 35mm film, but instead of using a cassette, like nowadays, it uses unperforated 35mm film on a paper backing. The Bolta spools are slightly

#OldCameraChallenge, the Ikko Sha Start 35k

I picked up a new camera recently, the Ikko Sha Start 35k. It was completely an impulse buy from Kamerastore, it’s not a camera I have ever heard of before and I could find very little about it online—and in a way that was part of the appeal. I just saw it and thought, ‘I

#shittycamerachallenge — Afternoon in the park, 7 January 2022

Finally have the images back from our afternoon in the park with Diana F+ for the #ShittyCameraChallenge. My attempts at image stacking were a dismal failure, mind.

#shittycamerachallenge — A visit to the Praia da Barra, 19 January 2022

It’s taken a while to get the film developed, but it was an enjoyable #shittycamerachallenge day at the beach with the Diana F+. One thing is certain; with all these light leaks next time I go out I need to start taping up the body of the camera before heading out.

The #OldCameraChallenge, 17 December 2021

The Kamerastore Outlet Box provided an almost instant collection of vintage cameras in various states of repair, some in perfect working order, some near to or not functioning, but all needing a good clean and renovation. Dating from the 1920s to the 1950s or 60s, many of the cameras have been treated poorly over the

The Kamerastore Outlet Box, 14 December 2021

After years trying to make perfectly focussed and nicely exposed photographs, I’ve recently been looking to a simpler time; when photographs were out of focus, camera movement was the norm and light leaks were a feature, not a bug. Looking around for a simple camera I originally bought a second-hand Polaroid 600, but the extortionate