In celebration of Holga Week 2022 – we asked you to send in a favorite Holga image. The Holga is a simple toy camera. It's usually associated with square images on 120 film - but is also available in a variety of formats – including 35mm. Because its lens is plastic, the edges of the frame are quite soft, and often vignetted. I encourage everyone to embrace the quirkiness of this camera. Its lack of mechanics make it very easy to experiment with. Simply click the shutter as many times as desired to create multiple exposure effects.

This set of images shows off the wide range of photographic styles that can be achieved with this cult camera. I was happy to find similar threads between images – whether it be the color tonalities, or subject matter. The Holga adds a unique moodiness to any scene.

Holiday | Holga 120n | Emma Boileau

Rachel White

Echo Of Emotions | Holga 135BC | S Button

NYC girl | Jerome Bertrand

Poolside | Holga GCFN | Katya Rowny

Golden Hour | Holga 120N | Anna Starr

A San Francisco Slumber | Holga 120 CFN | Kodak Portra 400 | Roxy Shooshani

Booting Up | Holga 80mm | Matt Lit

Eye Candy | Holga 120N | Angela Marlaud

Chris Broxterman

War of the Worlds | Holga | XP2 | Lou Wainwright

George Griffin

Solitude | Holga 120 FN | Jason Morrison

untitled | Sean Lundy

Analogue Days | Holga 120S | TriX 400 | Joanne White

Sigita Safronova

bridge | holga 120 GCFN | JOHN TEAS

Recurring Dream | Holga 120N | Jenny Magruder

Connect

Film photographer Katie Mollon is based in Michigan. See more of her work & connect with her on Instagram.

Check out (and follow) Holga Week on their Instagram and website! Hurry to participate and enter this year’s competition!

Here at Film Shooters Collective, we wanted to celebrate Holga Week by having our viewers share some of their all-time favorite Holga images. We wanted to include first-time Holga shooters, so we waited for everyone to have a chance to get a roll (or several) processed.

My name has become synonymous with Holga, despite owning a variety of film cameras. There's something so versatile about this seemingly limited plastic device that has kept me coming back for over a decade. If the dreamy focus and vignetting wasn't enough of an effect, there are endless other fun tricks you can do with a Holga. From bulb-mode long exposures to exposure stacking to overlapping frames or exposing the sprockets on 35mm film, the creative options are plentiful. And don't forget: there will probably be light leaks involved!

The following set of images transitions between depictions of peace and solitude to feelings of excitement and chaos. The image makers selected films, subjects, and techniques that helped portray these themes. If anyone thought the Holga camera was a simple, one-trick pony: the contrasts in these images will convince them otherwise.