I've done some Holga photography, but all of my hand-held pictures come out blurry like this:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/205/502508548_2ca15e7253.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v386/isnt_anything/The%20Dump/Volvo.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v386/isnt_anything/The%20Dump/Tattooo.jpg


I do hold it very well and I hold it very still...now I know I know...it's a holga, but it seems like I can't seem to get ANY decent hand-held shots. 70% or so of my EOS 650 pictures come out ok.

I wanted to get some of these type of results:

http://www.holgamods.com/gallery/anchor.jpg

http://www.holgamods.com/gallery/gallery2/elizabethflint.jpg

http://www.holgamods.com/gallery/gallery4/tulips.jpg

These aren't my photographs and I'm not sure what the policy is on posting work that isn't yours as an example. I got them from Holgamods.com. Just wanted to show you what I"m looking for. Sorry if I broke any rules...

Should I get another Holga? I know that they're all different. Is there anything I can do for handheld shots? Or just carry my tripod everywhere I go?

Looks like a double exposure to begin with. Did you advance the film immediately after each photo?


Steve

Looks like the shutter is sticking while you're holding it. If you get sharp results using a tripod, that's probably it. I'd say try another Holga.

I have used a Holga at times and there is really no special trick to handholding. All I can think is that you are either accidentally double exposing the film or you have a defective shutter. The first two look a lot like double exposures, the last one less so. Double exposures are very easy with Holgas since the winding and shutter mechanisms are not connected. However, if everything is like this, I don't know why that would be happening.

To test it, you can take the back off, press the camera closely to your face, click the shutter and see what it does during exposure. You should see one quick flash of light, if you are seeing two distinct flashes of light when you do this, it would seem like a shutter problem. The Holga shutter is so simple, I don't know how it would do something like this, but who knows?

Looks like a double exposure to begin with. Did you advance the film immediately after each photo?


Steve


Thanks all.

I forgot to mention. The 1st one is a double exposure, but the last 2 aren't.

If you are using a newer model 120N or the like, it may be that the shutter selection on the bottom of the lens mount has been shifted to BULB. This seemingly happens all on its own from time to time. Set it back to normal (N) and you'll be shooting like a... holga.

I hope this helps.
Cheers,

What Toffle said, happens all the time!

Thanks again all! I'll give it another go. I did look at the bottom and saw it was on "b". You really gotta watch these things!

That and leaving the lens cap on seem to be the biggest gotchas (which I why I've thrown mine out), with the aperture switch set in between sunny and cloudy so the swing arm blocks the light path coming in third. The joys of precision equipment!

I think I figured it out. I got my Holga from Holgamods.com and had the bulb feature put in there and had the rod in the whole time (camera set in bulb mode) instead of out which is the standard shutter speed.

I threw my lens cap away, too. I'll keep an eye out for the aperture mishaps as well.

Good Luck!
Brian

Thanks!