Portrait with Holga

The Holga and portraiture

The Holga is a plastic medium format 120 camera with a fixed 60mm f/8 lens. It has no light meter, no phase-detection focus, nothing automatic. It vignettes. The plastic lens lets light through in unpredictable ways.

And that’s precisely why it works so well for portraits.

When you photograph with a Holga you can’t rely on technique to save the image. All you control is where you place the person, how you light them and when you press the shutter. Three decisions. And in portraiture, three decisions is all you need.

How the session is structured

First part — Theory and preparation

We go over the basic principles of portraiture: composition, light and relationship with the subject. Not a lecture — a conversation about why some portraits work and others don’t.

We load the 120 rolls and go over the Holga’s characteristics: the useful focus zone, how to estimate exposure by eye, and how to use the camera’s limitations (vignetting, grain, light leaks) rather than fight them.

Second part — Portrait session

We work in the studio with a model. Each participant shoots a full roll: 8 to 12 frames in 6×6 square format.

The brief is simple: focus on the person, not the camera.

Third part — Development and scanning

We develop the 120 roll using the standard B&W process. The process is identical to 35mm development but with a different spiral.

At the end, a verification scan of the frames to see the dry results.

Key contents

• The Holga: how it works, its limitations and how to use them
• Portrait theory: composition, light and connection with the subject
• Exposure without a light meter: estimation and sunny-16 rule
• Loading a 120 roll and working in square format
• Medium format development: differences from 35mm
• Reading 120 negatives

What’s included

• One 120 B&W roll (ISO 400 recommended — Kodak T-MAX or HP5)
• Use of the studio with lighting and backdrops
• All developing chemicals
• Scanner for a final verification

What to bring

• A Holga 120 camera (any model) — if you don’t have one, we have one available
• Comfortable clothes; we work in the studio and the darkroom

Not included

• Additional rolls (+€12/120 roll)
• Full high-resolution scanning (available as a service at Llumàtics from €15)