The 35mm Holga Modification
Your New Attitude will require
the following elements : Holga Camera 35mm Film (any ASA speed) Opaque Tape Thin Rubber Bands Soft Foam (two chunky pieces and one thin piece) Batteries (If using Flash Holga) |
A. Load the Batteries Opening the back of your Holga, insert two "AA" batteries to power the flash. As the strange Gods of Design would have it, the Holga batteries are not held in place by any kind of spring or tension. This is just the first of many useful applications for your opaque tape - go right ahead and securely tape those batteries inside; or they will roll around inside the camera. Be sure that your tape doesn't obscure the square surrounding the shutter hole. NOTE : If you have a non-flash Holga, don't bother with this step - there ain't no place for batteries inside. B. Remove the Mask - Tape the Runners  Your holga comes with a 6 x 4 plastic photo mask. Take this out - your New Attitude shots demand no less than the full 6 x 6 format. Take your tape and place a strip along the bare plastic runners on either edge of the exposure area. This provides a smooth edge for film transport, and prevents the nastiness of scratched negatives. C. Rubberband the Take-up Spool  Remove your take-up spool on the left side. Wrap a few thin rubber bands around the top and bottom, leaving no less than 3.5cm (1.35in) in the middle. Your 35mm film leader will fit snugly in this space, with the rubberbands preventing it from moving up or down D. Attach the Film Leader  Place your film leader in the middle of your now-rubber-banded-take-up spool. Use a small piece of tape to secure it in place. Wrap the film around the take-up spool 3 or 4 times, making sure that it is T-I-G-H-T! Place the take-up spool into its right-side compartment. E. Load your film  Grab your two chunky pieces of soft foam and jam them into the top and bottom of the left-hand film compartment.  Smash your 35mm film cartridge into the middle of this. The fit should be tight - your film cartridge must not be able to move up or down. Ensure that your left-side to right-side alignment is good, and that your film transports straight across. F. Flat Foam Strip on the Film  Using a small piece of tape, secure the flat strip of foam to the top of your film cartridge. This prevents the cartridge from moving out of its soft little housing. G. Secure the take-up spool  Ah ha, you were just going to throw out that cardboard film box, right? Wrong! Rip off a piece, and jam a folded little square below your take-up spool.  This will give some much-needed tension to your film advance. NOTE : this is a good tip for all holga usage, not just the "New Attitude" 35mm mod! H. Tape the Window  Look at your Holga's back cover. The red window spells certain death for New Attitude shots if it is not completely covered! Light will come waltzing right in, and overexpose all of your shots in a bath of red nasty. Be sure to cover the entire window with opaque tape. I. Tape the Body  Place the rear cover on and clip it securely. For good measure, place a strip of tape along both the top and bottom rear seam. You're ready to shoot! |
A. The 34-Click Rule One little problem with your "New Attitude." Who the hell knows what frame the film is at? The Holga's usual Medium format film gives you a convenient number through the red window, but with 35mm film - you don't see jack! This is where the 34-Click rule comes in - each time you shoot a frame, carefully count 34 "clicks" of the film advance wheel until you shoot again. This will give you enough spacing between shots and prevent overlap. If you lose count, start over from one - it's better to have too much space between frames than accidentally overlap two shots by not advancing far enough. B. S-H-O-O-T!! New attitude shooting is identical to regular Holga shooting, with one special difference - the frame is horizontal and much smaller than usual. So, when looking through the viewfinder, mentally subtract the top 20% and bottom 20% from your vision. Chances are, they won't be in the shot. For detailed instructions on successful shooting with the Holga, peep out our downloadable guide (in your choice of 8 languages) http://shop.lomography.com//holga/instructions.html |
| Your pictures are all shot, and you cannot advance
the film any further. Now comes the real fun. Find a COMPLETELY
dark place (a closet will do) to unload your film. Any light
whatsoever can overexpose your film, so take care of your location,
and allow your hands to become fully acquainted with the Holga before
shutting off the lamp. A. Detach the Film  Remove the tape and open the Holga's back. Again, there must be no light around at all. Pick up your film spool with two fingers. GENTLY tug the film upwards, grasping only the cartridge body, and pull the bottom of the take-up spool out of its cradle. B. Rewind the Film  Allow the take-up spool to drop and hang freely. Turn the little knob at the top of the film cartridge counter-clockwise, thereby rewinding the film. It may twist in either direction as its rewound, but don't worry, it will go in straight. Rewind the film completely inside. C. Processing  Bring your New Attitude shots to a professional lab. Request a "Contact Sheet," in which they lay out your negatives onto a sheet of A4 size photo paper. This will show you the entire exposure effect - with your image spilling onto the perforations. The Contact Sheet is important, as individual prints are likely to be cropped by the developer and leave out the tasty perforation effect! |