When Scott and I went to Israel in 2019, we carried with us an Ilford disposable camera (specifically: this one, the Ilford XP2 single use ‘Harmon’). We finally got around to dropping off the film last weekend. All of these are 100% unedited, this is exactly how they came out of the developer.
Film: Ilford HP5 Plus 400 ISO 35mm in a Holga 135 camera (these photos are completely unedited, this is how they came out of the developer).
What is a Holga?
The name comes from a Cantonese phrase, “ho gwong,” which means “very bright.” It is a plastic camera from the early 80s that takes far from perfect pictures — the appeal is the artistic nature of the unpredictable photos and the lightweight “toy” feel of the camera. It was designed to be a cheap camera for non-professionals (tourists, mostly). Images commonly display vignetting, blur, light leaks, and other distortions. Some argue that Holga cameras influenced the style development of Instagram because looks such as altered colors and light leaks were hallmarks of a Holga photo. The original camera also utilized the square photo format on 120 film (which might have helped to inspire the Insta square), although mine is a little army-green Holga 135 that uses 35mm and shoots rectangular images.
This style of photography is sometimes referred to as “lomography” [an experimental form of photography using film and old-fashioned, analogue cameras]. A Holga is not the camera you want to use when it’s very important to you that your shot come out a particular way, but if you’re looking for something fun and unpredictable that captures images in a unique and artsy way, you’d probably love a Holga.
Cheers to keeping film alive one roll at a time!
At the end of a ten-hour vaccine clinic, a well-dressed man with a soft rolling-cooler full of flowers walked around the large atrium and gave every nurse, provider, pharmacist, pharmacy tech, and registration clerk a carnation. He had dozens of them, all different colors, and carefully ensured that every single person who had worked that shift was given the chance to pick a flower. 🌹
When asked what inspired him to do this, he only put his hand over his heart and said “I see how everyone is working so hard.” ❤️
This too shall pass. Someday soon we won’t need vaccine clinics that can serve 2,000-8,000 people / day. But right now we do need these events. This is part of history and we’re living it.
A patient told me, “I remember doing this for polio, too.” I asked her to tell me what that was like, and she did — recalling the day she and all her friends were vaccinated against polio with a green sugarcube. Now she’s been vaccinated against Covid, too.
I’m so glad that I’ve gotten to be a part of the pandemic response. This too shall pass, and I truly believe these vaccines will speed the end of covid as we now know it. I can hardly wait — I’ll work hard for that goal any day.
Unbidden Grace 