5 More Ways to Experiment with the Holga 120N by Jennifer Stamps

Written by Jennifer Stamps

Simply shooting with a plastic camera is an experiment. But what if you want to take that experimentation to the next level?

Last year, I shared five fun ways to experiment with Holga 120 – and here are five more. 

Find the Holga 120N on Amazon.

1. Long Exposures

Similarly to the self-portraits I mentioned in my previous article about Holga experiments, it’s best to have a 3-d printed adapter, which you can find on eBay, for the shutter release cable for long shutter photos.

Once the adapter is on the Holga, you’ll be able to attach the shutter release cable easily. 

Here’s how to set up your Holga 120N for long exposures:

• Put your Holga 120N in “B” mode (bulb mode). This is found on the bottom of the camera with “N” or “B” – In “B” mode, the shutter will remain open as long as the shutter release is engaged. 
• Put the camera in “cloudy” mode. This is found on the top of the lens. By putting it in “cloudy” mode, the Holga will shoot with approximately f/8 (as opposed to approximately f/11 for “sunny” mode).
• Attach the Holga to a tripod! 

Depending on the time of day, amount of light, and film speed, your exposure time will vary. I recommend downloading a light meter and reading this article on tips for shooting long exposures on a Holga.

2. Use a Fisheye Lens

Did you know you can get a fisheye lens for your Holga 120? How fun is that? (Find the fisheye lens on eBay.)

The lens is a plastic (yay!!) and fits right on top of your Holga lens. Nothing more you need to do with it.

Just pop it on and shoot!

3. Running a Roll Through Twice

So, this experiment was an experiment gone wrong. I wanted to expose both sides of the roll like this. The experiments I was seeing were so cool on 35mm, I thought “let’s try it on 120!”

But, I did this while I was on a walk, and shooting 12 frames doesn’t last long. I was nowhere near a darkroom bag (to properly roll and flip over the roll), so instead, I just ran the roll through the camera twice. 

How did I do this?

Well, essentially, I shoot frames 1-12, then 12-1.

Once I was done shooting the roll as normal, I took the 120 take-up spool from the right side of the camera and popped it into the left side of the camera (still wound!), and shot over it.

The images don’t line up, but that’s part of the fun!

4. Overlapping Frames 

On purpose or on accident, overlapping frames can be a lot of fun and add to the story of an image.

One way you can do this is by putting the 12-exposure frame in your Holga 120N but switching the back window to 16-exposures.

This will help you determine how much to wind your film and make the frames overlap. 

If you don’t want the entire roll to look like that, you can use the corresponding frame and counter (12 and 12; 16 and 16).

For the frames you want to overlap, you will shoot your photo, wind the film slightly (not all the way) and shoot again. This will make only the select few frames overlap. 

You can also use this technique to create really cool Holga panorama images, called Holgaramas.

5. Good Ol’ Fashioned Multiple Exposures

It felt weird writing this article without mentioning multiple exposures. Just good, ol’ fashioned multiple exposures.

Because the Holga 120 is fully mechanical, you can take as many photos on one frame as your heart desires.

One, two, 20? Go for it.

My favorite form of doubles on the Holga 120N is up-side-down doubles. To do the up-side-down doubles, take your first photo, then literally flip your camera up-side-down and take the same photo (just keep in mind that the shutter release button is now on your left side).

You can take an important subject or find some leading lines and have fun. 

One of the things I love about the Holga 120N is how much fun it is to shoot with. Because it’s plastic, it just feels like fun in your hands.

It’s not heavy. It’s not technical. It’s not scary. It doesn’t take itself seriously. It’s just downright fun!

Hopefully, these tips inspire creativity and encourage you to try some new things with your Holga. If you use any of these tips, I’d love to see them, so please share!

Thank you so much, Jen! Jennifer is a regular contributor here at Shoot It With Film, and be sure to check out her other articles, like 5 Film Cameras Under $50 and The Joy of Using Vintage Cameras.

You can also check out more of Jennifer’s work on her website.

Leave your questions about experimenting with the Holga 120 below in the comments, and you can pick up a Holga for yourself here on Amazon!

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Jennifer Stamps

Jennifer Stamps is a toy camera and travel film photographer and a regular contributor for Shoot It With Film. Find her other articles here, such as Olympus OM-1 35mm Film Camera Review and 5 Film Cameras Under $50.

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