Shooting with a Toy Camera

The Holga 120N is a toy film camera that produces real photos. At $40, it’s the cheapest camera on the market. Still, the film itself will cost you an arm and a leg, especially as film stock prices rise with demand.

My Holga 120N

Digital photographers looking to get into film often ask me about my experience with my Holga. They tend to have the same questions: Is it worth it? Why would a piece of plastic be $40? Should I save up and invest in a real, heftier film camera instead?

My answer is usually the same. A Holga is a great tool for taking fun, artsy photos, but if you’re looking to get into film photography, it shouldn’t be the only camera you own. You’ll want to have another camera with adjustable shutter speed, ISO, and aperture.

Still, I’ve taken some of my favorite photographs with my Holga. It continues to surprise me by producing natural light leaks and vignetting.

A photo from a golf course I shot on the Holga 120N

The first roll of film I ever shot with the Holga turned out super messy. I somehow managed to accidentally create a double exposure of my dog and my father (pictured below). The rest of the photos had a ton of blur and light leaks, but I came to learn that those are all just trademarks of the Holga style.

The accidental double exposure (two photos exposed on top of another)

One of my first shots on the Holga

Ultimately, I’m a big fan of the Holga because of the unique photos it can produce. I think it’s worth adding to any collection of film cameras for its novelty alone.

See more of my photos taken with the Holga 120N in the gallery below.