As I shoot more and more with the Holga, I am continually learning the ins and outs of the camera.  At the very heart of the Holga is the fact that it is only just a toy camera, which strips clear much of the boundaries I have operated in for some time now.  However, that does not mean that all of what I have learned regarding photography could now be thrown out of the window.  A recent exercise with the Holga and a set of soft filters has brought about some interesting results for me that I thought I would share.

To begin, I have thoroughly enjoyed using Cokin filters with my Canon A1.  I have found that they produce a unique and raw result that I have been unable to authentically duplicate within the walls of Photoshop.  That being said, I thought an interesting exercise would be to use filters with the Holga.

Here is the catch: the filters I have for the Canon are plain colored filters.  The filters I have for the Holga are soft surround filters and there is a big difference.  I feel that a major mistake of mine was to use the soft surround filters with color film.  I was so excited when I ordered the Holga that I grabbed these when in reality, I truly wanted the plain color filters.  Not really a big deal.  After all, it is still a toy camera. 

According to Freestyle Photographic Supplies, the soft surround filters offer the following effect:

With a clear center, each of these four filters have a specially designed pattern designed to enhance the Holga’s natural focus vignetting. Drawing the eye toward the center of an image, these filters are excellent for a unique documentary, portrait and fine art style images. Set includes 1 red, 1 yellow, 1 blue, and 1 neutral density filter in soft surround.

My images appeared to have an enhanced Gaussian blur around the edges, almost similar to a cheesy Glamour Shots type effect, though not that extreme.  Granted, with the Holga’s light leaks, the soft filters can tie in some interesting effects.  However, with the color film, they produce an awkward image in my opinion.  For example, with the yellow filter, it produces a yellow ring around the image allowing the true color to come through the center of the image.  In some cases, this is not necessarily a bad thing, but in others, I felt that it dramatically altered the colors that I would have had otherwise.  As I said, the light leaks can alter the color pattern of the image, however, those are unplanned and have a certain appeal that only comes with being random.  When not thought out, the color soft filters feel too forced.

Some of my results from using the Holga soft surround filters can he found here:

Duck
This was shot with the yellow filter, which really enhanced the blur, especially since the focal point was already such a strong value of yellow.  You cannot really tell how the filter worked with the exception of the blur applied to what appears the entire image.

Wagon
As I mentioned earlier, the effects of the soft filter here did not help the image.  To me, it looks as if there was a giant stain or discoloration.  I would rather have had the light leaks on the film rather than the effects of the soft filters.

Dress
I believe I used the neutral density filter for this image.  You can see the muted tones around the image and the true color coming through the center.

BBQ Bug
I was not too disappointed with this image, actually.  Using the yellow filter, I felt that it kicked up the greens around the Volkswagen (Yea, they are cooking BBQ out of the back of that thing) and left the focal point alone in the center of the image.

Birdhouse
There were some obvious light leaks with this image, so the true effect of the filters might not have come through as they would have normally.  Still, I love the final effect.

I am certainly not saying that the filters are bad or that I regret my purchase.  Having seen film developed after using these I will certainly be more aware of the final shot before simply slapping them on.  Still, I believe that it is a good exercise to try any accessories without too much reserve so that you can truly understand what they add (or take away) from the image you had in your mind.

Many of my other Holga shots can be viewed via my Flickr account.