Holga Week 2022
Holga Week 2022 started on 1 October and finished up on 7 October 2022.
What is Holga week? In short it’s a challenge set up by Mr Holga, a fellow Holga lover who wanted the community of Holga camera owners to come together and create new work between 1-7 October of each year. It’s “a week of shooting Holga photos, and sharing them with all other Holga lovers out there.”
A condition of the week is taking a selfie with each camera you use. I own two Holga 120GCFN’s one was gifted by my friend Jessie from Bird Girl Creations and the other I picked up off eBay for around $65.
The week kicked off with a hike (wade really with the amount of water we had) near the Kingfisher Pool area within Heathcote National Park located on Dharawal Country to camp with friends.
The week then continued with more fun activities including seeing some friends Liesl and Hans, who you may have seen their wedding featured here. We ventured to Floriade which is Australia’s biggest celebration of Spring.
The week continued with time work during the day and then sunny afternoons at home with the cats <3.
Phase 2 allowed participants 30 days to develop the film taken and get it scanned in. I ended up with 5 rolls of film captured (60 film frames) on my wonderful lo-fi toy camera and had to filter my selections down to three photos to fit into any of the following categories; Holga Street, Holga Nature, Holga Portrait or Holga Pinhole.
Photos are then judged by jurors and there is a chance for persons who enter their work to vote for other entries. The above four categories have winners (sponsored by generous film lover sponsors) and then there is an additional prize for the most voted photograph the Holga Select winner.
I selected the following three images to submit as they felt the most alive.
Revival named as such as after a swim in this chilly water I felt completely and utterly revived. I took photos next to the waterfall, while I went swimming in the water and from above the falls. This one I feel attempts to show the speed at which the water was running and it looks enticing.
But nature more I named after a Lord Byron quote that I love. “There is pleasure in the pathless woods, there is rapture in the lonely shore, there is society where none intrudes, by the deep sea, and music in its roar; I love not Man the less, but Nature more.” Being on this adventure with these friends in nature is the closest I had felt to solitude and peace in months.
I enjoy that I have this feeling captured in an image for myself. Sometimes we create art for selfish purposes, to remember the moments for ourselves. I can safely say this is one of those images, but will forever be in my top life moments.
Visibility was captured at Floriade during a parade. I love the colour floating through the crowds of people. The sun was really intense and this has the typical Holga vignette effect around the edges. This event marks such a big time of year for garden aficionados and floral lovers. I was so happy to be out with two great friends enjoying the festivities in the Spring warmth.
I got up at 5.30 am to watch the Holga Week Awards live online in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas and be a part of the community in real time, it was so fantastic to see the judges and participants top selections.
There were 232 photographers who participated from 20 different countries and 669 photographs were entered. 40% women photographers participated which was an increase from 2021. So much variety and diversity in the images submitted which was really exciting.
I am keen for next year’s Holga week and to show you more Holga film snaps along the way.