We photographers spend a small fortune on the latest digital cameras to get the ultimate quality possible – yet I love a simple £10 toy camera called a Holga! It has quite a cult following. Its cheap plastic lens creates a very soft image, low in contrast and distorting the colours. Somehow this gives the images instant appeal. And it's just wonderful using film in this digital age.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7CZZBq3SLXjpMIr7HL1dhhXepLlPmiZrkcmuus_GzM_sTCsEhvZLaWoiSBSAkR0apiIU4c6KDaK8OvuxqYqFbHT17hyphenhyphengVjfHM2dismjjG6f3bLbgg81HFkePY35QhDuf4F8tPnjkKjBRV/s320/img011a.jpg)
This is Prague station and I love the maze of the criss-crossing rail tracks. Look closely and there is a splash of orange from a railway worker helping to draw the eye to the centre of the image.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4F6fpOtG6WutbOn7lW_UDTkYSwTV3-BujmXJ1dTpFoL4MQN3FPd3muBUkhfb7ArtfxxgxTbCTqfwWXgXHzH-yvuVvOGE2IUgku0MZrfUOGCAcU8TWufjvM2wAUiYpzQYxVRp2z5M6guBB/s320/img009.jpg)
The camera is prone to light leaks, hence the slight magenta discolouration at the edges of this shot of the Church of Our Lady Before Tyn in Prague. I love this unpredictability that can bring an extra dimension to a photo. You don’t know quite what you’ve caught until the film is developed. The treatment perfectly suits the muted colours of this scene.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZOQMM-g-c8kfdJXy__hT0cggo1Mwr95zM8iVLJ4Dp__kbgQzn2SsJkzftKqPtwVkpc-1pmaPiaPzO55T9a3yLRKltWi2az-HBYH3BYEY02YEzC3gxjAGn7qGE_92rPnjQaKK1eP5h9Itd/s320/img010.jpg)
Here’s another, of the Municipal House building, that I took on the same trip to Prague. Again the image is soft with muted colours and the light leaks onto the film have added some interesting border effects. I framed the shot with the curved part of a bus stop in the top corner, to give the image an additional element and mirror the building's wonderful arch. The Municipal House also has a superb art deco interior and is well worth a visit.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6VZHPzEdgdU9AO0-naIVP6EbzDo74vsLZNaPQwRZ09ba3ge8P2VPGYxPuTJxF0fbC2vZ9rNW-HXswJOkVESqNq_aA08v9RPdljL0gKoPL1Fyey6T4C7zM6aHwdiw4P3RAGSD9eHDmPRrF/s320/canary+wharf3.jpg)
And another taken at Canary Wharf. The camera gives a square format on 120 roll film - I love square images, sadly something we see less and less of with digital capture.