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The Plastic CameraThe Plastic Camera

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OVERVIEW AND EXPECTATIONSThis chapter covers a little history of the plastic camera, beginning with The Great Wall PlasticFactory in Kowloon in the 1950s, and describes the attributes and varieties associated with this great toy. A good deal of the chapter examines why you might want to use a cheap toy camera and how it has become an integral element of my teaching and work as an artist. Some instructionsare also given on how to modify the toy camera so that you can get the most from the experiencewith the minimum amount of frustration.

A LITTLE HISTORYOnce upon a time there was a novelty manufacturer in Kowloon, Hong Kong, that called itself TheGreat Wall Plastic Factory. Their contribution to the history of photography was molding severalpieces of plastic into a Diana camera that made nifty looking images. The Diana, with mandatorytaping of all the seams and a few other modifications, became the camera of choice for photo-graphers seeking options for making images that expressed themselves rather than the optical perfection of modern photographic equipment. For many photographers, this camera represented a perfect tool in which to address that “mirrors and windows” conflict that has been raging for thelast century; the “mirror,” where the image is an expression of the artist, and the “window,” wherethe image defined the information within the photograph.

Beginning with its development in the late 50s and early 60s, The Great Wall Plastic Factory madeand sold the Diana, and the Diana F (with a built-in flash), and sold them for $2.25 apiece. Shutterspeeds were tenaciously capricious, but if you were really curious you could calibrate and test your cam-era’s shutter speeds and find that they ranged between 1⁄15 and 1⁄250 of a second. Apertures were equallyunpredictable, but most cameras adhered to a range between f.16, f.6, and f.4.5. Focus was anotherwhimsical trait, and it was essential that you knew just how out of line your camera’s viewfinder was inorder to capture what you wanted on film. Many plastic camera shooters carry a bag full of cameras,each with the specific camera’s idiosyncrasies scratched into the body for identification. Eventually, wanting the plastic lens but tired of the bag of cameras, I had one of my Dianas fitted with a Graflex shutter.

Figure 4–1Christopher James,Drivers, Giza, 1992Drivers, Giza wasmade with a Dianaplastic camera that Ihad adapted with aGraflex shutter (thesingle element plas-tic lens was gluedonto the shutter) inorder to allow me to shoot at slowerspeeds in low lightlevel situations. Theweather was veryunusual for Giza—freezing cold andsleet.(Courtesy of theauthor)

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In the years since The Great Wall Plastic Factory cre-ated the Diana, the plastic camera has reemerged withnearly the same shape and parts but with a different nameattached to its body. Some, like the unpredictable Diana,are considered treasures and sell for premium collector dol-lars. Other plastic camera types held together for a veryshort time and were shunned due to chronic failures or,ironically, too much perfection in the plastic lens. Amongthe cameras that have fit the prerequisites of the plastic toycamera are Anny, Arrow, Arrow Flash, Asiana, Banner,Debonair, Diana, Diana Deluxe, Diana F, Dionne F2,Dories, Flocon RF, Hi-Flash, Holga, Lina, Lina S, Mego-Matic, Panax, Photon 120, Raliegh, Rover, Shakey, Stel-lar, Sun Pet 120, TraceFlex, Tru-View, Valiant, and

Figure 4–2The Holga Camera

(Courtesy of the artist, Tom Kerr)

Figure 4–3Sara Jansson, EiffelTower Project, Paris,1998Sara Jansson, aformer student ofmine at the ArtInstitute of Boston,used her Holgaplastic cameras toproduce a year-longindependent studyproject of peoplevisiting the EiffelTower from the sameviewing location.(Courtesy of theartist)

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Windsor. Of these, the most commonly found these daysis the Holga. This particular camera is occasionally toowell made and predictable to feel emotionally connectedto it. Basically, in order to be considered a true and wor-thy toy camera the following qualities had to be present:a mysterious shutter speed, minimal aperture control, nofocusing control, a soft and romantic interpretation ofsubject and light, light leaks, and infinite charismaticcharm. There is a certain Zen-like peace attached to theact of making pictures and not knowing if they will comeout. (Read Eugene Herigel’s Zen and the Art of Archery foran explanation of this point.)

Toy Camera Phi losophyThroughout the thirteen years I taught at the CarpenterCenter for Visual Arts at Harvard University, and for thelast ten at the Art Institute of Boston (at Lesley Univer-sity), I’ve focused on eliminating the myth of “great equip-ment equals great photography.” My intent was to createa class attitude about image making that had at its corethe love of craft, image, and print, married to the phe-nomenon of play; the one truly universal learning processthat all living things with faces enjoy and share in com-mon. I wanted to instill in my students several salient andcritical ideas regarding learning:

Figure 4–4ChristopherJames, FerrisWheel andCorpse, Delhi,India, 1995This imagedescribes mymemory of India.The plastic cam-era is an image-making tool thatrecords life theway I rememberand internalize it,rather than theway a modernlens, far moreperfect than ahuman eye, mightrender it.(Courtesy of theauthor)

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u You’ve got to love doing something before you willinvest your time and resources learning to do it well.

u Almost everything you do really well in your life, out-side of such natural gifts like breathing and digesting,you will teach yourself.

u Play is the most effective and persuasive method toteach anyone anything. To paraphrase Aristotle,“…play and introspection are the only two humanpursuits that are engaged in just for the hell of it.”

With that premise in mind, at the beginning of eachsemester or workshop, I would purchase several dozenplastic toy cameras and make a gift of them to each stu-dent. Initially, there was the classic Diana, then Bannersand Dories. Lately, the best toy camera available has beenthe Holga. I would also provide a roll of black gaffer’s tapeto ensure a light-tight toy, although Holga has almosteliminated this need, and a couple of rolls of 400 ASA 120mm film per student. Ilford now has a 3,200 ASA speedfilm, which is terrific for the low light, plastic cameraexperience.

I would ask my students, as I have every other foun-dation class since, to put away their sophisticated gear andtheir perception that good equipment could mask andmake up for any shortcomings in technique and creativ-ity. I offered them the opportunity to experience, withtheir new “toys,” several significant things that I call theSix Plastic Virtues.

The S ix P last ic Vi r tuesu The true memory: The plastic camera is an image-

making tool that records life the way it is rememberedin the memory rather than the way a lens, far more per-fect than the human eye, renders it.

u The element of “gesture”: This is a creative device anda key element of expression in all of the arts. Unfortu-nately, due to the technically dependent nature of themedium, photographers have traditionally been unableto share this experience. Unless something goes wrongand the artist is lucky, or has the know-how and expe-

Figure 4–5Dan Estabrook, Portrait of the Artist (for J-P),1991Dan, a former student of mine at Harvard, waslistening to me one day as I was expressing afew opinions about Joel Peter Witkin’s work. Asa response, he went off and made this piece forme—thanks Dan.(Courtesy of the artist)

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Figure 4–6Christopher James, Nubian Woman, Aswan,Egypt, 1992The Nubians, populating a region from the NileValley to the Sudan, have had a long and amaz-ing history. Once the Nile/Aswan Dam projectwas completed, many of their villages wereflooded and now they move about on boats. Iused a modified Diana camera with a Graflexshutter (same plastic lens) to make this shot oftwo boats passing on the Nile.(Courtesy of the author)

rience to translate the accident into a creative option,gesture is a difficult element to find in photography.In the alternative process arena, with all of the hand-applied emulsions, gesture does enter into the equa-tion.

u The pleasure of being anonymous: The nice thingabout using a “toy” to make your art is that only thosewith similar experiences will take you seriously. LikeLartigue, who was able to produce images of greatenergy and beauty because he was a child (and not con-sidered a threat to anyone’s ego), a beginning studentcan move about freely, encountering curiosity ratherthan suspicion.

In my own experience, shooting in many different cul-tures and countries with nothing but my trusty andindestructible Dianas (the crème de la crème of cheapphotographic equipment), I have been able to photo-graph in places where “real grown-up” cameras are for-bidden or unwelcome. People assume that I am notquite “all there” pointing a child’s toy wrapped in black

tape at the subject of my intentions. As an aside, theconfessionals in the Vatican (where you are not allowedto photograph) make exceptional “changing bags” forswitching film or salvaging the occasional “fat roll.”

u The pleasure of simplicity and play: A plastic camerahas few qualifying controls and therefore eliminates theproblem of doing something wrong; a great relief to abeginner. The cameras are inexpensive (Holgas sell foraround $15) and incredibly simple. There are twoaperture settings, sun and sun, cloud and lightningbolt, which double as a hot shoe setting. There are alsofour focus options: a contemporary lonely single per-son, a 1950s Disney-definition of the perfect nuclearfamily, an academic committee, and a mountain rangeof your choice. The camera can be dismantled, modi-fied in an infinite number of ways, and rebuilt toachieve specific image-making goals.

u The working process: Due to the simplicity of thesecameras they can be thought of as tools rather thanmachines, and their output as “gifts” rather than life

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and death negatives. The great thing about theplay/learning process is that everyone, from beginningstudent to experienced photographer, learns to lovethe process of image making while exploring the tech-niques that are traditional and essential to the medium.Once a student is in love with the process, like fallingfor a cuisine or a culture, they are often eager to digestthe nuances and beauty of that process’s language.

As for the argument that the plastic camera is a gim-mick, and that it does not teach a person how to be aphotographer, I ask critics to remember that photog-raphy is simply making marks with light. I would alsopose a question. Where is the greater value to a youngartist; in learning through positive play, mistakes, andfailures or learning through technically predictable

mediocrity? To me, the indelible benefit of process isin the play and the love of making images that are unex-pected and personal—the philosophical difference; thegift of a lifetime versus the information of the moment.

u Plastic economics and inspiration: The plastic camerais one of the best solutions to the problem of creativelethargy. The expense and replacement costs are mini-mal, and it addresses concerns of equal quality equip-ment among students by putting the same camera andtechnology in each student’s hands. It also generates awillingness to play, within a technology-based learningprocess. Virtually every level of student from gradeschool to graduate school begins to think of the cam-era as a toy to create images that express perceptionsthat are as diverse as the individuals who make them.

Figure 4–7Cheryl Harmeling,Brynmore, 1999This is an image froma portrait series thatCheryl created whileat the Art Institute ofBoston. Cheryl usedthe plastic camera togenerate negativesfor her series ofblack gum bichro-mates, in part,because of the cam-era’s ability to rendermass over detail.(Courtesy of theartist)

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Figure 4–8Maggie Knaus,Typhoon, Vietnam,1998Maggie Knaus, aformer workshopstudent, took herHolga camera toVietnam and returnedwith a portfolio ofexpressive work thatwas full of the spirit ofthat culture.(Courtesy of the artist)

Best of all, this “toy” will mold a person’s affection forseeing and photography for life—rare achievementsfor any learning process.

Plast ic Camera Hints and Tipsu Throw away the lens cap immediately. You are using a

single element plastic lens and it doesn’t need protec-tion. Also, if you are accustomed to a through-the-lensviewing system you are likely to believe that if you cansee the subject in your viewfinder then everything isokay—it isn’t. The viewfinder and the lens are two sep-arate parts that are only remotely working together.

u On the other hand, if you want a very low-tech solu-tion to the shutter speed issue you may opt to remove

the entire shutter mechanism from the camera. Oncethe shutter is gone, put the lens housing back on thecamera and simply use the lens cap as a shutter. Takeit off and you expose the film; put it back on the lensand you stop the exposure. I recommend this techniquefor very low light situations where you might want toilluminate your subject with multiple test “pops” froma handheld strobe.

u To eliminate one of the only light leak problems thatthe Holga seems to offer, remove the camera back,look inside the main camera compartment, and turnthe camera upside down. You will see two small holeson the inside, on the geometric shape lens housing thatserves as a support for the viewer and hot-shoe set-up.

Take two small pieces of black gaffer’s tape and put itover these two holes.

u To keep the film from fogging on a sunny day: place apiece of black gaffer’s tape over the red acetate framecounter window during normal use. When you wantto advance frames, turn away from the sun, peel backthe tape, and quickly advance to the next number.

u To keep the camera from opening accidentally: tape upthe silver, camera back, sliding bar releases during use.If the slides are loose and you are running somewhere,the bars are more than likely to slide upward and causethe back of your camera to fall to the ground.

u A “fat roll” situation is when your plastic “take up”spool on the right inside of your camera doesn’t roll the

exposed film tightly enough. This means that it isincreasingly difficult for you to turn the advancewinder. As a result, because the film can’t wind itselfinto its opaque paper backing, opening up your cam-era to correct the problem will expose and ruin yourfilm. Your only solution is to find a totally dark envi-ronment and load what you have onto a reel andprocess. Or, you can unload the camera in a changingbag and place the “fat roll” in a few layers of tinfoil untilyou can get to a loading room. Always carry a few piecesof tinfoil to wrap the unexpected fat roll until it’sprocessed.

To avoid the fat roll problem, take the end flap fromyour film box and fold it over itself about two to three

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Figure 4–9Christopher James,Tea-Boy, Jaipur,India, 1995(Courtesy of theauthor)

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Figure 4–10Jonathan Bailey,Playa del Carmen(Quintana Roo), 1994(Courtesy of theartist)

times (about 2 mm) and slip it under the spools beforeclosing the camera back on a new roll. This will createtension on the spools and should eliminate the “fat roll”predicament. Be sure that you put a little finger ten-sion on the unexposed roll when advancing the first fewturns into the camera (up to the first manufacturer’stype on the backing paper)—this gives the film theright idea.

u To prevent thin exposures: shoot in the brightest lightyou can find because this camera gives traditional HP-5 or T-Max an infrared look. Avoid low light unless youhave modified the shutter for long “bulb”-like expo-sures, are using a strobe attachment, or shooting theexcellent Ilford 120 mm, 3,200 ASA film.

u On that note, processing plastic camera film is a greatopportunity to experience the graphic potential of“pushing” your film in development. You will likely getblown-out highlights and a lot of grain and contrast,but if you’re not sure that you had enough light to workwith it is more prudent to extend the development timerather than having nothing on the negative.

u Finally, lighten up a little—this is a toy you’re workingwith. If you approach the plastic camera with theproper attitude, it will reward you with all of those greatfeelings you had when you first decided that being aphotographer was a perfect way to spend your life.

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Shutter Modification (Holga)

One of the limitations of the Holga plastic camera is a shut-ter speed that is fixed, depending on the camera, betweena 30th and 125th of a second. This prevents you from adapt-ing to low light with an alternate shutter speed (adapting forvery bright light is not a problem because the lens enjoysrecording it in an almost infra-red-like way). A solution to thislimitation is to modify the camera so that it works with a“bulb” setting. As long as you keep the shutter releasepressed in the down position, the shutter stays open. To dothis is relatively simple.u Open up the camera and observe that there are two small

Philips head screws holding the lens housing to the cam-era’s body. Take a small Philips screwdriver and take outthe screws.

u The housing will then drop away from the camera reveal-ing the shutter mechanism. You will see that the lenshousing is attached to two wires that are connected tothe camera and that they lead to the hot-shoe. Notice thatthe shutter parts are constructed with a spring, a shut-

ter arm, and a black disk with a hole in it (for exposure)and a small lollipop-like flange sticking out. The trick hereis to stop the disk by means of a set pin, which will causethe flange to hit it and keep the shutter open.

u If you look at the shutter mechanism in the resting posi-tion, you will notice a spot right at the point where theshutter arm and the disk make a “V.” This is where youwill set your pin.

u My advice: go to the drugstore and buy an eyeglassrepair kit that is equipped with an assortment of smalleyeglass frame screws. Then take the screws and yourcamera to a small machine shop and request that theydrill a shallow hole at the “V” to accommodate the screw.

u When that is done, screw the eyeglass pin into the newhole, making sure that the pin is low enough to allow thearm to swing over it but high enough for the lollipop flangeto stop when it hits it.

u Put the lens housing and camera back together and younow have a “bulb” setting camera that is perfect for out-of-sync strobe and nighttime shooting.

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Figure 4–11Christopher James, SecretInflater Hose for the GreatPyramid/Giza, Egypt, 1993(Selenium and gold-toned silver print)(Courtesy of the author)