4

The Plastic

OVERVIEW AND EXPECTATIONS This chapter covers a little history of the plastic camera, beginning with The Great Wall Plastic Factory 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 and how it has become an integral element of my teaching and work as an artist. Some instructions are also given on how to modify the toy camera so that you can get the most from the experience with the minimum amount of frustration.

A LITTLE HISTORY Once upon a time there was a novelty manufacturer in Kowloon, Hong Kong, that called itself The Great Wall Plastic Factory. Their contribution to the history of was molding several pieces of plastic into a camera that made nifty looking images. The Diana, with mandatory taping 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 the last century; the “mirror,” where the image is an expression of the artist, and the “window,” where the image defined the information within the . Beginning with its development in the late 50s and early 60s, The Great Wall Plastic Factory made and sold the Diana, and the Diana F (with a built-in ), and sold them for $2.25 apiece. speeds 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. were equally unpredictable, but most adhered to a range between f.16, f.6, and f.4.5. was another whimsical trait, and it was essential that you knew just how out of line your camera’s viewfinder was in order 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 but tired of the bag of cameras, I had one of my Dianas fitted with a Graflex shutter.

72 Figure 4–1 Christopher James, Drivers, Giza, 1992 Drivers, Giza was made with a Diana plastic camera that I had adapted with a Graflex shutter (the single element plas- tic lens was glued onto the shutter) in order to allow me to shoot at slower speeds in low light level situations. The weather was very unusual for Giza— freezing cold and sleet. (Courtesy of the author)

73 In the years since The Great Wall Plastic Factory cre- ated the Diana, the plastic camera has reemerged with nearly the same shape and parts but with a different name attached 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 very short time and were shunned due to chronic failures or, ironically, too much perfection in the plastic lens. Among the cameras that have fit the prerequisites of the plastic toy camera are Anny, Arrow, Arrow Flash, Asiana, Banner, Debonair, Diana, Diana Deluxe, Diana F, Dionne F2, Figure 4–2 Dories, Flocon RF, Hi-Flash, , Lina, Lina S, Mego- The Holga Camera Matic, Panax, Photon 120, Raliegh, Rover, Shakey, Stel- (Courtesy of the artist, Tom Kerr) lar, Sun Pet 120, TraceFlex, Tru-View, Valiant, and T

H Figure 4–3 E

B Sara Jansson, Eiffel O

O Tower Project, Paris, K 1998 O

F Sara Jansson, a A

L former student of T E

R mine at the Art N Institute of Boston, A T

I used her Holga V

E plastic cameras to P

H produce a year-long O

T independent study O

G project of people R

A visiting the Eiffel P H Tower from the same I C viewing location. P R

O (Courtesy of the

C artist) E S S E S

74 out. (R act ofmakingpictures andnotknowing iftheywillcome charm. There Zen-like peaceattachedtothe isacertain subject andlight,lightleaks,infinitecharismatic focusing control, asoftandromantic interpretation of a thy to to it.Basically, inorder tobeconsidered andwor- atrue well madeandpredictable tofeelemotionallyconnected is theH Windsor. Of these, themostcommonlyfoundthesedays an explanationofthispoint.) mysterious shutterspeed,minimalaperture control, no y ead Eugene Herigel’s camera thefollo olga. This par ticular cameraisoccasionallytoo wing qualitieshadtobepresent: Z en andtheArt ofArchery for last tenattheAr Center for Visual atHarvard University, Arts andforthe Thr Toy CameraPhilosophy a ment equalsgreat photography.” My intentwastocreate sity), I’ the lo critical ideasregarding learning: mon. Iwantedtoinstillinmy studentssev that alllivingthingswithfaces enjo universal learningprocessnomenon ofplay;theonetruly class attitudeaboutimagemakingthathadatitscor oughout thethir v v e e of craft,image,andprint,marriedtothephe- focused oneliminatingthemythof“great equip- t I nstitute ofBoston(atLesleyU teen y ears ItaughtattheCarpenter y and shar eral salientand render it. human eye,might perfect thana lens, farmore way amodern rather thanthe and internalizeit, way Iremember records lifethe making toolthat era isanimage- The plasticcam- memory ofIndia. describes my This image James, Christopher Figure 4–4 author) (Courtesy ofthe Corpse, Wheel and India, 1995 e Ferris in com Delhi, niv er e - - 75

CHAPTER 4 THE PLASTIC CAMERA - - eativ device and other foun e y er eativ ev e traditionally been unable e tunity to experience, with This is a cr e”: e”: The plastic camera is an image- tcomings in technique and cr gestur ed them the oppor “toys,” several significant things that I call the several “toys,” w offer would ask my students, as I hav key element of expression in all of the arts. in all Unfortu- key element of expression I I making tool that records life the way it is remembered making tool that records in the memory per- rather than the way a lens, far more it. renders fect than the human eye, The true memory: The element of “ a of the due to the technically dependent nature nately, medium, photographers hav to share this experience. Unless something goes wrong this experience. Unless to share and expe- or has the know-how and the artist is lucky, . Six Plastic Virtues. Plastic Six Virtues The Six Plastic N N their ne ity dation class since, to put away their sophisticated gear and dation class since, to put away their sophisticated that good equipment could mask and their perception make up for any shor anners olga has almost iana, then B olls of 400 ASA 120 chase several dozen chase several light, plastic camera eathing and digesting, w camera available has been has camera available y work. As although H s , would pur y I , was the classic D the best to e , kshop emise in mind, at the beginning of each ther ything you do really well in your life, out- in your well do really ything you , er light-tight to Portrait of the Artist (for J-P), a got to love doing something before you will you before doing something got to love e e v nitially ’ ories. Lately ith that pr ou W invest your time and resources learning to do it well. time and resources your invest Almost ev side of such natural gifts like br will teach yourself. you method to and persuasive is the most effective Play paraphrase Aristotle, To anything. teach anyone the only two human are “…play and introspection for the hell of it.” engaged in just pursuits that are Y response, he went off and made this piece for a me—thanks Dan. (Courtesy of the artist) Dan, a former student of mine at Harvard, was listening to me one day as I was expressing a few opinions about Joel Peter Witkin’ Figure 4–5 Dan Estabrook, 1991 plastic toy cameras and make a gift of them to each stu- plastic toy dent. I N N N semester or wor and D tape of black gaffer’s a roll I would also provide the Holga. to ensur eliminated this need, and a couple of r experience. mm film per student. Ilford now has a 3,200 ASA speed now mm film per student. Ilford film, which is terrific for the lo

THE BOOK OF ALTERNATIVE PHOTOGRAPHIC PROCESSES 76 N I gestur tion. applied emulsions,gestur The pleasure ofbeinganonymous: rience totranslatetheaccidentintoacr quite “all there” pointingachild’s toy wrappedinblack bidden orunwelcome. People assumethatIamnot graph inplaceswhere “real grown-up” cameras are for- photographic equipment), I have beenabletophoto- Dianasindestructible (thecrèmedelaofcheap tures and andcountrieswithnothing but mytrusty In myown experience,shootinginmanydifferent cul- than suspicion. can mo Lar with similarexperienceswilltakeyou seriously. Like about usinga“toy” isthatonlythose tomakeyour art sider energy andbeautybecausehewasachild(andnotcon- n the alternativ tigue, whowasabletopr ed athr e ve aboutfreely, encounteringcuriosityrather is adifficultelementtofindinphotography eat toany e pr ocess ar one e ’ s does enterintotheequa- ena, withallofthehand- ego), abeginningstudent oduce imagesofgreat The nicething eativ e option, . N N The working process: The pleasur machines, andtheiroutput as“gifts” ratherthanlife cameras theycanbethought ofastoolsratherthan family son, a1950sDisney-definition nuclear oftheperfect four focusoptions:acontemporar ar beginner. The camerasare inexpensive ( sellfor problem ofdoingsomethingwrong; agreat relief toa qualifyingcontrolshas few andtherefore eliminatesthe confessionals inthe tape atthesubjectofmyintentions.Asanaside, achiev fied inaninfinitenumberofways,andrebuilt to of y bolt, whichdoubleasahotshoesetting. settings,sunandsun,cloudlightning switching filmorsalv to photograph)makeex ound $15)andincr our choice. The camera canbedismantled,modi- , e an academiccommittee,andamountainrange specific image-makinggoals. e of simplicityandplay: ing history Valley totheSudan,havehadalongandamaz- The Nubians,populatingaregionfromtheNile Christopher James, Figure 4–6 (Courtesy oftheauthor) two boatspassingontheNile. shutter (sameplasticlens)tomakethisshotof used amodifiedDianacamerawithGraflex flooded andnowtheymoveaboutonboats.I was completed,manyoftheirvillageswere Egypt, 1992 V atican (wher aging theoccasional“fat roll.” edibly simple. There are two Due tothesimplicityof these ceptional “ . Once theNile/AswanDamproject Nubian Woman, e y y changing bags ou ar lonely singleper- A plastic camera Ther e not allowed e Aswan, ar e ” also for 77

CHAPTER 4 THE PLASTIC CAMERA The plastic camera of making images that are unex- of making images that are e v is one of the best solutions to the problem of creative is one of the best solutions to the problem mini- costs are The expense and replacement lethargy. of equal quality equip- concerns mal, and it addresses putting the same camera and ment among students by also generates a hands. It technology in each student’s within a technology-based learning willingness to play, every grade Virtually of student from level process. school to graduate school begins to think of the cam- perceptions that express images to create era as a toy as the individuals who make them. as diverse that are Plastic economics and inspiration: economics Plastic mediocrity? To me, the indelible benefit of process is me, the indelible benefit of process To mediocrity? in the play and the lo pected and personal—the philosophical difference; the pected and personal—the philosophical difference; the information of the moment. gift of a lifetime versus N language. s ’ ocess eryone, beginning from ocess is that ev traditional and essential to the medium. e - 1999 and death negatives. The great thing about the The great and death negatives. play/learning pr student to experienced photographer, learns to love student to experienced photographer, making while exploring the tech- of image the process niques that ar Once a student is in love with the process, like falling with the process, in love a student is Once often eager to digest are they for a cuisine or a culture, the nuances and beauty of that pr As for the argument that the plastic camera is a gim- to be a mick, and that it does not teach a person how that photog- I ask critics to remember photographer, with light. I would also raphy is simply making marks a young to value is the greater Where pose a question. and mistakes, play, artist; positive in learning through technically predictable or learning through failures portrait series that (Courtesy of the artist) Brynmore, This is an image from a Cheryl created while at the Art Institute of Boston. Cheryl used the plastic camera to generate negatives for her series of black gum bichro- mates, in part, because of the cam Figure 4–7 Cheryl Harmeling, ability to render era’s mass over detail.

THE BOOK OF ALTERNATIVE PHOTOGRAPHIC PROCESSES 78 N N Plastic CameraHintsand arate parts that arearate parts onlyremotely working together. tion totheshutterspeedissue y low-techOn theotherhand,ifyou solu- wantavery okay—it isn is see thesubjectinyourtheneverything viewfinder systemyouviewing are likely tobelieve thatifyou can tion. Also,ify single elementplasticlensanditdoesn’t needprotec- Throw awaythelenscapimmediately. You are usinga seeing andphotographyforlife—rar Best ofall,this“toy” willmoldaperson’s affection for for anylearningpr ’ t. andthelensareThe viewfinder twosep- ou ar ocess. e accustomed toathrough-the-lens T ou mayopttor ips e achiev ements emo v e N a illuminate your subjectwithmultipletest“pops” from for v and y it offandyou exposethefilm;putitbackonlens camera andsimplyusethelenscapasashutter the shutterisgone,putlenshousingbackon the entire shuttermechanismfrom thecamera.Once serves as a support fortheviewerandhot-shoeset-up. asasupport serves on theinside,geometric shapelenshousingthat the cameraupsidedown. You willseetwosmallholes andturn look insidethemaincameracompartment, the Holga seemstooffer, remove thecameraback, To eliminateoneoftheonlylight leakproblems that handheld str er ou stoptheexposur y low lightsituationswhere you mightwantto obe. e. Ir ecommend thistechnique Maggie Knaus, Figure 4–8 (Courtesy oftheartist) that culture. was fullofthespirit expressive workthat with aportfolioof Vietnam andreturned Holga camerato student, tookher former workshop Maggie Knaus,a Typhoon, 1998 Vietnam, . Take 79

CHAPTER 4 THE PLASTIC CAMERA Figure 4–9 Christopher James, Tea-Boy, Jaipur, India, 1995 (Courtesy of the author) T H E

B Take two small pieces of black gaffer’s tape and put it exposed film tightly enough. This means that it is O

O over these two holes. increasingly difficult for you to turn the advance K

O winder. As a result, because the film can’t wind itself F N To keep the film from fogging on a sunny day: place a A

L into its opaque paper backing, opening up your cam-

T piece of black gaffer’s tape over the red acetate frame E

R era to correct the problem will expose and ruin your

N counter window during normal use. When you want A

T to advance frames, turn away from the sun, peel back film. Your only solution is to find a totally dark envi- I V

E the tape, and quickly advance to the next number. ronment and load what you have onto a reel and P

H process. Or, you can unload the camera in a changing O N To keep the camera from opening accidentally: tape up T bag and place the “fat roll” in a few layers of tinfoil until O

G the silver, camera back, sliding bar releases during use.

R you can get to a loading room. Always carry a few pieces

A If the slides are loose and you are running somewhere, P

H of tinfoil to wrap the unexpected fat roll until it’s

I the bars are more than likely to slide upward and cause C processed. P

R the back of your camera to fall to the ground. O To avoid the fat roll problem, take the end flap from C

E N A “fat roll” situation is when your plastic “take up”

S your film box and fold it over itself about two to three S

E spool on the right inside of your camera doesn’t roll the S

80 N y To prevent thinexposures: shootinthe brightestlight closing thecamerabackonane times (about2mm)andslipitunderthespoolsbefor pr tension onthespoolsandshouldeliminate“fat roll” right idea. type onthebackingpaper)—thisgiv turns intothecamera(uptofirstmanufacturer’s sion ontheunexposedr excellent Ilford 120mm,3,200 ASAfilm. sur have modifiedtheshutter forlong“bulb”-like expo- 5 ou canfindbecausethiscameragives traditionalHP- or T-Max aninfrared look.Avoid low lightunlessyou edicament. B es, are using astrobe attachment,orshootingthe e sur e that y oll whenadv ou putalittlefingerten w r oll. ancing thefirstfew es thefilm This willcreate e - N N photographer was a perfect waytospendyour life. photographer wasaperfect feelings you hadwhenyou firstdecidedthatbeinga pr with. If you approach theplasticcamerawith Finally, lightenupalittle—this isatoy you’re working rather thanhavingnothingonthenegativ with itismore toextendthedevelopment time prudent but ify blo “pushing” your filmindevelopment. You willlikelyget oppor O n oper attitude,itwillreward you withallof those great wn-out highlightsandalotofgraincontrast, that note,pr tunity toexperiencethegraphicpotentialof ou ’re not sure thatyou hadenough lighttowork ocessing plasticcamerafilmisagr artist) (Courtesy ofthe (Quintana Roo), Playa delCarmen Jonathan Bailey Figure 4–10 e. 1994 , eat 81 CHAPTER 4 THE PLASTIC CAMERA Put the lens housing and camera back together and you Put the lens housing and camera back together perfect for out- now have a “bulb” setting camera that is of-sync strobe and nighttime shooting. ter arm, and a black disk with a hole in it (for ) a black disk with ter arm, and here sticking out. The trick lollipop-like flange and a small cause a set pin, which will disk by means of is to stop the keep the shutter open. the flange to hit it and mechanism in the resting posi- If you look at the shutter a spot right at the point where the tion, you will notice This is where you disk make a “V.” shutter arm and the will set your pin. drugstore and buy an eyeglass My advice: go to the with an assortment of small repair kit that is equipped Then take the screws and your eyeglass frame screws. that they camera to a small machine shop and request the screw. drill a shallow hole at the “V” to accommodate pin into the new When that is done, screw the eyeglass to allow the hole, making sure that the pin is low enough lollipop flange arm to swing over it but high enough for the to stop when it hits it. N N N N - - - ou will see that the lens body. Take a small Philips screwdriver and take out Take body. s The housing will then drop away from the camera reveal The housing will then drop away from the Open up the camera and observe that there are two small Open up the camera and observe that there to the cam Philips head screws holding the lens housing era’ the screws. ing the shutter mechanism. Y housing is attached to two wires that are connected to housing is attached to two wires that are Notice that the camera and that they lead to the hot-shoe. a spring, a shut the shutter parts are constructed with 30th and 125th of a second. This prevents you from adapt- 30th and 125th of a second. N N One of the limitations of the Holga plastic camera is a shut- plastic camera limitations of the Holga One of the between on the camera, that is fixed, depending ter speed a an alternate (adapting for ing to low light with a problem because the lens enjoys very bright light is not infra-red-like way). A solution to this recording it in an almost the camera so that it works with a limitation is to modify long as you keep the shutter release “bulb” setting. As do position, the shutter stays open. To pressed in the down this is relatively simple. Shutter Modification (Holga) Modification Shutter

THE BOOK OF ALTERNATIVE PHOTOGRAPHIC PROCESSES 82 Pyramid/Giza, Egypt, Inflater HosefortheGreat (Courtesy oftheauthor) silver print) (Selenium andgold-toned Christopher James, Figure 4–11 Secret 1993 83

CHAPTER 4 THE PLASTIC CAMERA