Plastic Cameras: Toying with Creativity

by Michelle Bates

Take a tour of the burgeoning world of plastic cameras and low-tech photography in this fun and funky guide to creating the most artistic pictures of your life! Whether you're an experienced enthusiast or toy camera neophyte, you'll find this guide full of tantalizing tips, fun facts, and absolutely striking photographs taken with the lowest tech tools around. You'll learn how to prep your plastic camera, their advantages and quirks, and what film to feed it. You'll also explore what makes a good subject, vignetting, multiple exposures, panoramas, close-ups, night photography, color, flash, problems and solutions, and so much more. Michelle Bates also takes you from a negative to either prints or pixels so that you can show off your photos and jump on the toy-camera revolution! Contributors Michael Ackerman, Thomas Michael Alleman, Erin Antognoli, Jonathan Bailey , James Balog, Michelle Bates, Phil Bebbington, Gyorgy Beck, Susan Bowen, Laura Corley Burlton, David Burnett, Susan Burnstine, Nancy Burson, Perry Dilbeck, Jill Enfield, fotovitamina, Annette Elizabeth Fournet, Brigitte Grignet, Eric Havelock-Bailie, Christopher James, Michael Kenna, Wesley Kennedy, Teru Kuwayama, Louviere & Vanessa, Mary Ann Lynch, Anne Arden McDonald, Ted Orland, Sylvia Plachy, Dan Price, Becky Ramotowski, Nancy Rexroth, Francisco Mata Rosas, Richard Ross, Franco Salmoiraghi, Rosanna Salonia, Jennifer Shaw, Nancy Siesel, Mark Sink, Kurt Smith, Sandy Sorlien, Pauline St. Denis, Harvey Stein, Gordon Stettinius, Ryan Synovec, Rebecca Tolk, Marydorsey Wanless, Shannon Welles, Matthew Yates, Dan Zamudio

Genres: Photography, Art, Nonfiction, How To, Crafts

286 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Reviews

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

A useful reference on using so-called toy cameras with emphasis on the Holga and Diana (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holga & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_ca... for more information). Bates, who has used a Holga for the past 20 years, provides a good overview of the history and the work that can be created from these cheap, nearly entirely plastic cameras. As she notes in the introduction to this second edition, much has changed in the world of toy camera photography. More exhibitions and competitions have emerged as a result of the renewed interest in this family of cameras, and medium format film remains in production, despite the continued decline of film photography. "Plastic Cameras" distills much of the available advice online into a readable text. While Bates does cover many of the processes involved in film photography and film processing, do not expect technical discussions on f-stops, ISO, and the like. This book is aimed at anyone who owns a Holga and/or Diana camera and wants to learn more about their limitations, how to work around them, and how to use them for one's artistic ends.

[The Subway Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book about the Holga and about Toy Cameras in general but still mostly about the Holga. The Holga is an inexpensive camera that can be purchased for around $28. It is entirely made out of plastic, the lens as well, and the build quality is crappy at best. But the Holga has the ability to produce mind-blowing unpredictable surreal images and therefor it has attracted the attention of photography students, hipsters and professional photographers alike. The book of Michelle Bates is a joy to read. Everything you always wanted to know about the Holga and about photography in general as well, because as any good book about any gear it reminds you of the basics of photography as well. Heavily recommended! PS. This is the first edition. There will be a second edition shortly. I for sure will buy the second edition as well!

[Vivien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good book about plastic cameras! Its little bit focused on Holgas, but also about for example Processes and Presentations and it includes a lot of pictures.
So if you are interested in plastic/ lomo cameras, read this book! When you shoot since a longer time with plastic cameras, you will know a lot of what you find in this book. So 4 stars if you know much about plastic cameras and 5 stars if you are a newbie.

[Drew · Rating 2 out of 5]

An okay coffee table book (pictures are great). But, most of the text covered ground I was already familiar with. I think that anyone who picks up a Holga today probably did some research (likely online where there's dozens of great sites devoted to toy cameras). And that research will cover about 90% of what's in the book. Nonetheless, was fun to look at and I'll be keeping it on my shelf.

[Chang Shu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good to have all the information in one place. Extensive biblography (end reference lists) I wish it have more info on the Diana. Anyone know whatever happened to Mary Ann Lynch's "Photography through a plastic lens: Diana and her siblings"? Hope that book is coming out soon...

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the perfect introduction to toy cameras. Not only because it describes different types of toy cameras, but it also offers credible opinion and regarded artistic examples. This is a good spring board into the world of toy cameras and affordable medium format options.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is an ecstatic sermon to the believers. A plastic camera is $25, but only the empty box. Put all the materials involved and the digital starts to become cheap and time saving. As for creativity, the camera seems to do all the work and the human becomes a glorified camera support.

[Puja · Rating 3 out of 5]

went to michelle's reception with my friend... thought the book had no new information that a simple google search could provide.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

quick and clear read, albeit not too exciting. i did learn that i can shoot 35mm film in my holga camera.

[Tom Hammer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspiring introduction to the artistic world of plastic cameras. One downside: some technical issues could be explain in greater depth.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great introduction to the "toy camera," with specific how-to for the Holga. Looks like terrific fun. I'll have to try that in my other life where I have time for entire new hobbies!

[Suzie]

I finally got out my Holga camera. Exposed a roll of film and will develop it in Winston. I like the "feel" of it.

[Zinzi Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good introduction to lomography for beginners. Avid lomographers will most likely won't take much (if anything) new away from this book however.

[Frank Deschain · Rating 4 out of 5]

It doesn't really have too much text, but I'm just trying to reach my year-end count. It's a great resource for Diana and Holga enthusiasts.

[Meg Clayton]

photography