Last August, I loaded my Holga 120N with 35mm film and shot two rolls of film, one during a trip to the State Fair and another on a hike in the woods. I forgot about them until yesterday when I was searching for a roll of slide film I needed to scan.
Holgas, by design, embrace the element of surprise and I’ve always loved traveling with one in my bag. Light leaks, soft focus, lens flare. Outfitted with a plastic lens and body, the 120N is an arty number and likely inspiration for a number of vintage toy camera apps. Loaded with 120mm film, this camera can record 16 or 12 frames using either the 6 x 4.5cm or 6 x 6cm plastic mask.
With DIY ingenuity, you can load 35mm film into a Holga along with foam inserts and a rubber band to keep the film snug across the center. Using the square mask, I exposed the roll using a basic “click” system. To advance film in this camera, you need to manually turn a dial that clicks with each turn. Click by click), I shot through the roll. I made a shot/click chart and taped it to the camera back then drew an “X” across each exposed frame in place of a film counter.
Mathematically speaking, 24 exposures = 17 shots sized 55 x 35mm per frame with 3-4mm frame spacing. It may sound a bit technical, but it’s doable and photographing in this manner is the ultimate slow film experience. It’s also geeky which I love and worth the effort.
When I took these images, I had little expectation and treated them as test rolls. The results, as ever with the Holga, were a good surprise and I already have plans to repeat the experiment later this summer.
If you’d like to join me, this tutorial on using 35mm film in a Holga (with a printable chart) simplifies the process and yields the best results.
What surprises have you found in your photography lately? Feel free to share links to your images below.
Nikki | Art & Lemons
Oh man, Nikki! I live these shots. I don’t have a holga, but wondering if I can finagle something like this in my yashica?
Or, have you seen this?
https://www.youmagine.com/designs/35mm-film-on-120-spool
Thanks Vanessa, I hadn’t seen the film spools, so cool. You could try! The spools would be perfect to test out a roll of 35mm (24 exp) in your Yashica set to 120mm. Some of the film may go unused at the end but it would be fun to try…
Oh my goodness! I have a Holga but have yet to take any pictures with it. Thank you for the inspiration.
AWESOME!! Love these photos and this technique, Nikki!!
So cool! I just received a DianaF rom a friend for xmas (we’re really late with gifts). I cant’ wait to try it out.
These are terrific, Nikki! I did the same thing with my Diana a few years ago – so much fun. Coincidentally my cat with lightleak image in Vanessa’s June theme post is from that roll; that technique is perfect for the surprise theme 🙂