Toy camera user: I had to drag out the old neg files and
discovered my first ever Diana roll was dated 1992.
Member of tc.com: I started snooping around the
internet for other plastic addicts in about ‘98 and hit the jackpot finding tc.com the following year. The site has had both busy and quiet phases since then, but is enjoying a huge influx of new visitors in the last 12 months
What motivated you to start shooting toys initially and what continues to inspire you? I used to lie awake nights trying to think of ways to diffuse and distort Hasselblad images and create an impressionistic look I liked. Damn, if only I’d found a Diana first! It’s a good antidote to the restrictions of commercial photography, and the
Toy Camera Musings
perfection of digital photography. It’s become a bit of signature thing in my life, so why change now?
Was there a particular photographer that inspired you to shoot toy cameras? I saw the occasional shot that I loved at Photographic Industry Awards and competitions, years ago, but sadly the highly skilled photographers who produced them treated the Plastic as a bit of a novelty and went back to their glass lenses and motor drives.
Is there a particular toy camera photographer that inspires you now? I’m still inspired by the pioneering vision of Nancy Rexroth, the sensual work of Emil Schildt, or the mystical side of Mark Sink. Also the toycamera.com contributors still amaze me with new work every week. Do you have a favorite toy camera? What is it and why is it your favorite? My first. It’s a Diana-F. I have taken so many special shots with this one camera it has almost become superstitious. Each camera is slightly different and so, what if I used a different camera and an otherwise lovely image didn’t have just the “right” amount of vignette??? Akk!
Do you have any personal words of plastic wisdom you can share with us? Keep it simple. Eliminate unwanted things from the shot, take lots of frames to cover for the surprises that blurry imprecise plastic cameras throw at you.
Do you have any advice for someone who is just starting out with toy cameras? Have fun, try anything, you’ll be surprised what works.
SUSAN BURNSTINE
Toy camera user: 1 year Member of tc.com: June 2004
What motivated you to start shooting toy cameras? What continues to inspire you? I hit a creative wall in my professional photography life about a year ago. That’s when a fellow photographer gave me a Holga in hopes that it would shake me out of my funk. It worked. What continues to inspire me? I never tire or looking at a great toy camera shot. And toy cameras have proven to be the best vehicles to convey my inner quirks, thoughts, dreams and fears in my photography.
Was there a particular photographer that inspired you to shoot toy cameras? Keith Carter and Nancy Rexroth initially. Then I happened up Don Brice’s work and that led me to tc.com, where a number of photographers continue to inspire me.
Do you have a favorite toy camera? What is it and why is it your favorite? It is and will always my second Diana 151. To date, I’ve taken most of my best toy shots with that camera. But don’t tell Ms. 151… I currently have a few clones that are really inspiring me.
Do you have a favorite technique or any personal words of plastic wisdom you can share with us? I spent months obsessively perfecting techniques for close-ups. Now I’m tinkering with various techniques I’ve not seen used in the toy world, such as zone plates and sieves. Words of Wisdom? Don’t over think it. Feel the picture. Then snap. I’ve also learned that if you let an unprocessed roll sit in the camera too long, it loses flavor. So try and finish the roll in one shoot, before the magic spoils.
Do you have any advice for someone who is just starting out with toy cameras? Read everything you can on the tc.com boards and articles. Soak it up. Ask questions. Then go out
and shoot. And keep shooting. Oh, and don’t forget to take the lens cap off. And never, ever, ever, ever trust the viewfinder.
GARY MOYER
Toy camera user: About 3 years Member of tc.com: 3 years
What motivated you to start shooting toys initially and what continues to inspire you? To me it’s the simplicity of it all. With a toycam, I can spend more time working on composition instead of fussing with camera controls. Was there a particular photographer that inspired you to shoot toy cameras? Actually in a round about way, Keith Carter led me to the path of toy cameras. I loved an image that he did, titled “Radio Flyer” I loved the surreal look of the shot and asked another photographer friend how he thought the image was made. He replied he wasn’t sure, but he bet you could do something similar with a Holga. After some Google searching, I was hooked.
Is there a particular toy camera photographer that inspires you now? Mark Sink, and I am inspired and always amazed at the crew of photographers from toycamera.com.
Do you have a favorite toy camera? My newly purchased Fujipet. It is such a cool looking camera with a great little cyclops view finder on it. I am also very fond of my first Diana camera. She has never let me down yet.
Do you have a favorite technique or modification you can share with us? Probably my favorite technique at the moment that I’m enjoying is macro toy work. I really get stoked when I see some nice close up work. Tinkering with toy cams is also a lot of fun. I’m almost done with a Holga mod that will allow me to shoot 35mm film and rewind it in the Holga. No need to do it in darkroom or changing bag.
Do you have any advice for someone who is just starting out with toy cameras? Start with a cheap Holga. Buy lots of film and shoot, shoot, shoot.
Anything else you’d like to add? Never trust your viewfinder ;)