dav.d photography

Posts Tagged ‘holga’

2nd August 2010

Black & White Photo by Hipstamatic – Day 333 of 365

written by dav.d

Yep, I am addicted to my iPhone 4 and the Hipstamatic app. I was playing with different “film” types and switching the lenses around. This was created with some black and white film the app calls “BlacKeys B+W” and the lens is the “Helga Viking” which imitates a Holga lens. Yes, I could shoot with a real camera and with real film. I even own some holga cameras. However, the Hipstamatic gives me a lot more options in creating something that looks like film

If it looks like film and it acts like film – it must be film.

Helga Viking Lens, BlacKey B+W film

Helga Viking Lens, BlacKey B+W film

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Posted in Daily Photograph Project, Digital Photography | Tags: ,

19th July 2010

Abandoned Club Omni – Day 319 of 365

written by dav.d

I love my iPhone 4. The only dropped calls I have had have to be blamed on crappy AT&T coverage – half the time I have dropped calls I am no even holding the phone – it is sitting in the passenger seat of my car as I barrel down the highway.

And I love the camera that the iPhone 4 includes. 5 megapixels for a camera phone is perfect. More megapixels would only lead to noisier photos.

And my favorite iPhone app is Hipstamatic. A while ago I had complained that Hipstamatic only created 600 pixel images. I was a bit miffed that the 5 megapixel camera was going to waste. Well, I found a setting in the phone that lets me create higher resolution photographs. Woo hoo! I think I will be using the app more and more. It is just fun to create vintage photographs that imitate some classic film cameras, lenses, and paper.

Club Omni with Hipstamatic iPhone 4 app

Club Omni with Hipstamatic iPhone 4 app

The Hipstamatic app helps create holga style images or Diana images. And since I have the iPhone 4 on me all the time it is often the best camera I own since I can’t always have a DSLR with me.

This is a photograph of an abandoned building that use to be Club Omni. Provo is notorious for having a failed nightlife. Go figure. For a while the building was a plasma clinic – so homeless people could donate plasma and get money for drugs and alcohol ( I am guessing that is what happens ).

This building is going to be torn down sometime soon – Nu Skin is looking to expand with a new building. So now is the time to photograph the old buildings.

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Posted in Daily Photograph Project, Urban Photography | Tags: , , , , , , ,

7th July 2010

Faking Holga in Digital – Day 307 of 365

written by dav.d

Maybe the Photoshop action I used was a bit more of Diana camera/film style than a holga. I was lucky to take an original photo with my iPhone. I had taken some photos with the popular iPhone app Hipstamatic. However, the photo created with Hipstamatic shrinks the file to 600×600 pixels. It completely ignores the 5 megapixels available from the iPhone 4′s new camera.

So here is my bastardized version. Below is the iPhone’s Hipstamatic version.

Faking holga with Photoshop actions

Faking holga with Photoshop actions

The Hipstamatic version is a bit more of a cross processed finished with a different frame/print edge.

Hipstamatic version

Hipstamatic version

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Posted in Daily Photograph Project, Digital Photography | Tags: , , , ,

5th February 2010

Digital Holga via my Lensbaby – Day 154 of 365

written by dav.d

Now that I have finally taken photos with a real Holga camera – I know what it looks like and the qualities of a true film camera with a plastic lens. And no matter how much I joke that film with the wave of the future – digital really is where it is going.

This photograph is pretty dang close to a digital version of a Holga camera. I used the Lensbaby Muse with their plastic lens accessory. I put in the f/8 aperture ring and I had the lens straight forward rather than try and tilt the plane of focus. I didn’t try to up the contrast – because the plastic lens is supposed to be less contrasty and just soft at the edges. The one thing I couldn’t fake too much is that the Holga shoots in a square format. This will work perfectly when I upgrade to a full frame 35mm DSLR. Until then I am stuck with the cropped version.

Digital Holga style photograph with a lensbaby

Digital Holga style photograph with a lensbaby

But I am still a fan of Holgas. But to have digital and the Lensbaby really does lead to some creativity that film can’t achieve. And of course with digital you know exactly what you shot without waiting to finish the whole roll of film and then wait to get it processed.

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Posted in Daily Photograph Project, Digital Photography, camera gear | Tags: , ,

4th January 2010

First Holga photos back from the photo lab

written by dav.d

I got my first two rolls of film back for my new Holga camera. And it is a mixed bag – meaning I have learned a few things. First off – I need to shoot outdoors exclusively or use a really strong flash. Second – I am not sure I will keep using Allen’s Camera. Their scans that they put on disk for me tend to be all over the place. They have ranged from 4, 5, 8 megapixels in their scans. And I had asked that they include the border of the Holga photos – and they cropped that out.

But I do like these photos from my little photowalk around Provo’s Center Street. They are exactly what I hoped for – and I got 6″ prints along with the disk. Prints are really a cool way to enjoy photographs. If you don’t print your photos – do they really exist? If your hard drive crashes they won’t.

Utah County Courthouse

Utah County Courthouse through a Holga

For those not familiar with Holga cameras – they are plastic and they are craptacular! Which is what makes them special. Their imperfect plastic lens creates a vignette. There are very few buttons and controls over it. You can try to focus but you aren’t really sure if you are going to get things in focus – because you don’t see through the lens – this is rangefinder style.

Winter through a holga

Winter through a holga camera

I also have 2 Holgas – I received one for Christmas. So I have one for color and one for black and white film. I haven’t shot a lot in color. That will be my next to do list. It is fun. I will be checking out other photo labs – one that will get me exactly what I want from a Holga – full framed and all the imperfections.

Provo center street through a holga

Provo center street through a holga

Utah County Courthouse

Utah County Courthouse through a holga

Tree branches with snow

Tree branches with snow with my Holga

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Posted in Film Photography, Urban Photography, landscape photography | Tags: , , , , , ,

8th November 2009

Lensbaby Madness – Day 66 of 365

written by dav.d

I think for the next week I will be playing with my Lensbaby and the accessories. So many fun and creative toys at one’s disposal but it takes some practice to creating ugly photographs. There is a whole cult following of lomography and holga photography. Both are all about creating photographs with imperfect film cameras – cameras with plastic lenses and defects that create a unique look.

These are some photographs I took today at the Gateway – btw the Gateway is private property and they want you to get permission before you go around photographing the place. Granted my Nikon D300 looks uber professional so I was easy to pick out by security.

Looks like lomography/holga to me in black and white

Looks like lomography/holga to me in black and white

These photographs have a old fashioned look and feel. I created them using the Lensbaby and then in Photoshop I ran them through several photoshop actions and added a texture to help dirty them up even more. Yes, film would be more real and honest – but the advantage of digital? I have full control from beginning to end and can add the atmospheric feeling and the defects. And – with digital they are photographed today and they are live on the internet today. Not so with film.

The Gateway in lomo/holga color

The Gateway in lomo/holga color

And this morning I had fun taking “product photography” of the Lensbaby and the accessories. Most of these are taken with the actual Lensbaby – with off camera flash. I can still go strobist with my set up and take advantage of the creative lighting.

Side view of my Nikon D300 with the Lensbaby Composer and Wide Angle Accessory

Side view of my Nikon D300 with the Lensbaby Composer and Wide Angle Accessory

Lensbaby Accessories

Lensbaby Accessories

Lensbaby on the Nikon D300

Lensbaby on the Nikon D300

Lensbaby Accessories assembled

Lensbaby Accessories assembled

Front view of Nikon D300 with Lensbaby attached

Front view of Nikon D300 with Lensbaby attached

I am glad I finally ponied up the money for the Lensbaby accessories. It comes with the wide angle, telephoto and macro lenses. I think I will end using the wide angle lens the most. I find that the basic Lensbaby Composer is to narrow of a perspective on a crop sensor. Maybe when I finally upgrade to the Nikon D700 it’ll give me more room.

Through the eyes of the macro accessories

Through the eyes of the macro accessories

My Nikon D300 with the Lensbaby

My Nikon D300 with the Lensbaby

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Posted in Daily Photograph Project, Event Photography, camera gear | Tags: , , , , , , , ,

17th September 2009

Hippies invade Provo, Utah – Holga Special Effects keep them at bay – Day 15 of 365

written by dav.d
Hippie meets Holga

Hippie meets Holga

For those that care – I work in Provo, Utah for my day job. And it is the most conservative county in the United States. These people bleed Republican red – even though they bleed blue for BYU. So it was a bit strange when some traveling hippies wanted to dance and spread their blessing on the park in the heart of Provo.

I grabbed my Nikon D90 and my Canon SX200 to go take some photos. And I decided on this photograph – and I also decided to make the photograph look like it was taken with a Holga/Plastic camera. There is an underground cult that love to photograph with old plastic film cameras. I have been tempted to join them – I have never really shot film. So at times I am tempted to see what it is all about. There is this whole war of film vs. digital photography.

Film lends a lot of character to a photograph. Film and prints have color and texture and grain that make photographs look unique. Digital can be so “pure” in the photograph that they lose charm and appeal that film would offer. However, with digital you can imitate film. Is it perfect no. But you have a lot more control.

Maybe someday I will buy a holga camera or maybe even a large format camera. Or maybe just buy a Polaroid camera. In the meantime I will work my special effects to make the digital look like film.

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Posted in Daily Photograph Project, Digital Photography, Film Photography, camera gear, portrait photography | Tags: , , , ,