Holga: The World through a Plastic Lens

With over 500 pictures culled from thousands of Holga enthusiasts they could have come up with a much better selection of pictures than this. There are some great holga photogs out there but they aren't in this book. If you like looking a loads of pictures of people with their tongues sticking out you will love this book. If you think that something is art just because its blurred and has light leaks all over it you'll be in heaven. If you expect more than this you'll be disappointed.There are only a few black and white pictures, probably 95% are in color. There's a whole section full of tips, most of which involve taking a picture and then turning the camera and re-exposing the same piece of film.Or putting a pice of colored gel over the lens to use as a filter.I can figure this stuff out on my own. Then there's a whole biography section of anyone who contributed to the book, mostly filled with the above mentioned portraits of the contributors. Why not show their work instead? No offense, but I don't really care what they look like, I'd much rather see their work.I gave it 2 stars because there are a few good pictures in it. Also, It wasn't that expensive. But it could have been a really good book. Less fluff/padding, better tips and better pictures. This is a book better suited for the self obsessed "me" generation rather than a book for photography enthusiasts.Instead I recommend  Plastic Cameras: Toying with Creativity . , a much better book about plastic cameras. The photos that will make you want to pick up your camera and it also has useful fixes and hacks for your holga that will improve its function. In other words, great pictures and real tips. And when they do showcase photographers work, they show the work, not pictures of the people who took it. I'm not connected in any way with the recommended book, except as a satisfied buyer.

This book is great for those looking to explore the world of the holga. It is packed with all kinds of great photos and shows a complete array of all the holga is capable of. The beginning of the book takes a few chapters to explain all the neat little tips and tricks you need to know to get the most out of the camera, there are some user-submitted tips, there are user bios, which really show how many different people are into these cameras. I took off the dust jacket and it's just a black leatherish bound book underneath that says HOLGA in the center as well as the name of the book. This book is so much better that any of the other lomo books out there, I got those too, and they weren't up to the standards this creative book sets.

This book rocks the house. After I bought my Holga I figured, what the heck, I'll check it out. It's proved to be a great source of inspiration and entertainment. I've learned some interesting techniques from this book, most of which are described in enough detail so that you can try these modifications yourself. An entertaining way to learn more about your Holga and some of the many tricks it's capable of performing, not to mention, great photos! It now graces my fireplace mantel and is a lovely introduction to the world of plastic toy cameras.

I love this book. The pictures are gorgeous, and I love my Holga, although it is quite temperamental, but this book will show you what the Holga can do.

This book inspires me because the photographs included are a bit on the mundane side (or at least as mundane as Holga photographs could be). I thumbed through it right after I got it and was inspired - to take better pictures than half of the ones included in the book. I think it's an excellent source of information for the ultimate beginner who knows absolutely nothing about medium format or toycam photography, but the problem with this is that as their skills grow, this will not remain a handy reference.Some of the tips are helpful and intriguing...but only if you know nothing about what Holgas are capable of. If you know you can expose the same shot as many times as you want, then you most likely have already figured out the concept of exposing a roll, rewinding it, and trading with a fellow Holga snapper.Some of the tips were new to me, and I did utilize them - namely the spooling of two rolls of 35mm film onto two empty 120 spools. (I keep thinking there was another, but for the life of me, right now I cannot think of what it was.)Overall, it's a good source for the very uninitiated. It's inspiring, whether you are inspired because you like the included photographs or you don't. Some of them are wonderful, and positively inspired me to load up my Holga. It's nice to have lying around, and there has to be a tip for everyone, no matter how experienced they may or may not be. I do think the price is a little hefty for what is included, but it's up to the reader to find their own deal.

If you are an experienced holga user or it's the first time you ever picked on up, this is a great book showing you a ton of wonderful things you can do with your holga. I love my holga and this book has given me a few ideas to play with and it makes a great coffee table book that everyone loves to grab and flip through.~Dr. Steve Photography

all good. thumbs up!