A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

holga challenge

HooHaa Holga Challenge: And that’s a wrap!

When I originally thought up the HooHaa Holga Challenge, it was with the idea that I could find a couple of people who took photos with a Holga and have fun showing off their town.

What I didn’t expect is what I got.

Another of the rejects.

Through Twitter, five others jumped into this challenge. And with that, we had a wonderful variety of photographers from all over the United States and the world. Three women, three men. The USA. England. Switzerland. Kuwait.

What a view!

I’ve always fancied myself a bit of a traveler. Maybe not one who has traveled a ton, but one who would love to travel more. There are many others who have been more places than I, but I’ve had the opportunity to see a lot of stuff in the States, and I’ve been to different places in Canada and traveled to Ireland.

In my lifetime, I hope to visit more places. Some of those places include the ones we saw in this challenge. The photographers who brought you these wonderful pieces showed life from around the world.

Reject 3.

In my own country, Mike made Waco, Texas look like a great spot to visit. And Jeff’s take on Seattle made me almost want to move there!

As we got out of the country, Becky’s view on Totnes, England made me want to see some of this town as it seems like there would be some great places to explore. Shaima gave a nice feel to Geneva, Switzerland. And despite the reality that I will likely never be in the Middle East, Nada’s piece on Kuwait City reenforced my belief that the Middle East would be one heck of a great place to travel for photography reasons.

Photography — and writing, for that matter — are ways for people to share their lives, culture and things around them. Without this challenge, I would have never seen many of the items that others featured.

That’s what I learned about others. I learned some things about me and photography as well.

I do still enjoy film. I will never go back to film fully because I love the advantages that digital gives you. I also like that I can take a couple of memory cards and not worry about the money of buying rolls of film and getting them developed.

Another of the rejected photos.

For example, this challenge was two rolls of film. The film cost me, give or take, about 10 bucks. The developing, including shipping, cost me about $15. That’s $25.

Depending on the brand I choose, I could get about 32 gigs worth of memory cards for my digital camera for that same price. And those are reusable.

Film is great. I do love it. But financially, it’s not the best way to go for me. I like to shoot a lot of photos. Are all perfect? No. And they are easily sent packing with digital. But 5-6 screw-ups on a 24-exposure roll of film is quite costly.

I will continue to use the Holga. I’ll just likely pick and choose a little. I like how it works and such, but I want to make sure that when I do use it, it’s for things I want to see with the Holga feel or on film.

Film is special. That’s how I treat it, too. It’s not my everyday medium for various reasons, but one of those reasons is because it’s a special thing and I love to have that feeling when the film arrives. By happening too much, that feeling would shrink. As would my wallet!

To go back and check out all the Holga Challenge pieces, click on the links below!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Holga Challenge – Your Town: Delhi, NY

This gazebo, located on Delhi’s Courthouse Square, is a somewhat iconic place for our village. The square is where many area happenings go on, including the annual Fair on the Square, which runs each Friday in Julys.

Note: This is the sixth and final in a series of stories that are being done by participants of the HooHaa Holga Challenge. The series ran Sunday through today. See links for the rest at the bottom of this post.

This has been quite a challenge – especially in a photography way.

The others in this challenge, it seemed, had bigger areas to explore, discover and shoot. That’s one of the reasons I made this challenge within a 15-mile radius of your home area.

When this first started, I went back and forth with Mike about his “town,” which is Waco, Texas. His “town,” you see, is a city. With the space and population he has (including a major college), there were many possibilities for him.

See Jeff, who brought us to Seattle.

We also had close-ups of places like Geneva, Switzerland and what life was like in Kuwait and England.

And then there’s me, with Delhi (pronounced Del-hy, not Del-ee, like the city in India), a small town in upstate New York.

Though the business that owns this car wash has changed over the years, I remember it best when it was owned by a local car dealership. I had a lot of work done on cars there and bought a few cars there as well. Back in the day, there used to be three dealerships in town. Now there’s one. It’s much like everything else in this area when it comes to business – it’s hard to stay above water.

Nestled in the Catskill Mountains, Delhi is a wonderful little town. It’s an outdoorsman’s paradise in some places. We have a lot of history here and during the summer, it’s quite the peaceful place.

During the other months, our population swells up with an additional 2,000 or so people when the students of the local two-year state school come back for the year.

Despite all of these outdoorsy things, it’s still sometimes hard to get creative with photography. For someone who is a city dweller, I’m sure this would be a great place. The chances to shoot nature and see something different other than a concrete jungle would likely be welcomed.

For me, the city is where I’d like to be. Maybe not a place the size of a New York City, but somewhere slightly smaller, such as Albany, our state capital.

A lot of people say their places are small – as Mike. He thought Waco was small. But when I say Delhi is small, I mean small.

As with many rural areas, Delhi – and our county in general – has quite a few old cemeteries. Many of them aren’t active anymore, but they are a source for history, local and afar. I’ve come across many cemeteries with graves of people who have fought in the Revolutionary War. There is a lot to be learned in these old cemeteries and it’s nice that most of these places are still kept up decently well.

In the 2010 Census, the village of Delhi had a population of 3,087. If you go a little bigger and make it the town of Delhi, we’re now up to a whopping 5,117.

Let’s put this into a bit more perspective.

Delaware County, which is where Delhi is located, had a total of 47,890 people, according to the 2010 Census. The county isn’t small, either, as it’s a total area of 1,468 square miles. Of that land mass, only 22 square miles are water!

We’re surrounded by rolling hills and mountains. Trees are abundant. If the Census counted cows, our population would drastically rise.

It’s a great place to be and a nice area to raise kids. The crime rate isn’t high (crimes do happen, though) and, for the most part, one can feel safe being outside at most hours of the day.

In Delhi, there isn’t much to do.

I had to leave this photo in for two reasons. First, it is one of the photos that got hurt when the back popped off my Holga. Second, it shows something this area is really known for – it’s fishing spots. Whether it is small ponds or our branch of the Delaware River, there are some great spots to fish. And with there being a lot of DEC land, there are more opportunities for other outdoors adventures.

If you’re under the age of 21, you can scratch off the local bars for hangouts, too, so it becomes even less exciting. Despite being the county seat, Delhi doesn’t have any movie theaters, malls or shopping areas.

There’s an outdoors basketball court and a few parks. There are also some softball and baseball fields; soccer fields and some nature trails.

Heck, we don’t even have a village pool anymore, though they are trying to raise funds to put one in again.

Oneonta, which is in Otsego County, is the nearest “city.” It’s not even that big with a population just shy of 14,000. There are movie theaters there and some other activities people can get involved in, but it’s a 20- to 25-minute ride.

As I said, that makes challenges like this quite difficult as you need to open up and see things slightly different.

The village became incorporated in 1821 and has been featured in some pop culture places.

One thing about this area and the mountains is that it produces a lot of excellent spring water. In some places, hoses run off the mountain and people can stop and get cold, crisp water from the source. It’s a wonderful treasure and one I try and take advantage of any chance I get.

The Courthouse Square gazebo was even featured in the Saturday Evening Post on July 7, 1951. It was the cover for that magazine for that edition.

Delhi was also the setting for the award-winning children’s book, My Side of the Mountain.

The village has a size of 3.2 square miles, none covered by water, outside of the West Branch of the Delaware River, which runs through and opens up the chance to canoe, kayak or tube down the river.

Delhi isn’t perfect by any means. Many people who graduate high school here leave for better opportunities. Much of the village is off the tax rolls, be it for government buildings, non-profit places or whatever else. It’s also a village with an older population.

Being the county seat means Delhi is home to the county office buildings, courthouse and jail. The DMV is also located in town.

Just outside the village of Delhi and in the town, there is this rock wall. It’s the Greek Wall of sorts as the walls are painted by the fraternities and sororities from the local college.

Recent years have shown a gradual push toward some better things, such as a few restaurants, a better nightlife and local events that draw the village residents together. Still, there’s not much to keep the younger generation here as jobs aren’t as plentiful and getting decent-paying employment isn’t easy to do.

That leads to houses sometimes being sold to people who turn them into student housing and now college students sometimes mix in with everyday residents and that doesn’t always end well. Town-gown relations are up-and-down, depending on the day.

Some kids are respectful and quiet after a night of partying, while others are loud and destructive. I witnessed one year (and called police right away) a couple of kids walking up the street and kicking cars, breaking mirrors and whatever else – seemingly just to be destructive.

Politics are not the greatest here, either, as can be expected in a small place such as this. The good ole boys network is still prevalent with some things and not with others. But many times it is definitely who you know. I imagine many small towns and villages are like this, but when you live in an area, you notice it much more.

Ahhh, a picnic with nature. This is something that you can do around here as there are many picnic tables in local parks. On a summer evening, you can grab some food and go sit in a park, watch the world go by and have your dinner. Delhi’s small park system has grown in recent years and there are several where one can go explore, walk and enjoy being outdoors.

Delhi is a massive part of my life and has been, even when I was away. And, with the latest happenings in my world, I’m realizing it will likely be part of my past soon enough. This area is tough to keep people, as I’ve noted. And I’ve tried and tried to stay here, but things aren’t working out and reality is, I’ll be heading elsewhere sometime.

No matter what, though, Delhi is always a part of me. I’m actually writing this on my laptop in one of the local parks – the Courthouse Square. It’s peaceful and a nice place to go and write and people watch. It’s times like this that I’ll miss when I move on. I have a feeling it would be hard for me to go to a park in a place like NYC and do what I am doing here, without being a bit worried anyway.

The photos I chose for this story aren’t necessarily the biggest or best things about Delhi or the area, but it’s some of the things I always relate with my home area. And it’s the things I’ll take with me when I move on.

I hope you’ve enjoyed your trip through Delhi!

Here are the rest of the photos from my challenge:

Delaware Academy. The local high school and home to the 2001 Class C state champion football team. I have to be honest – I hated my time at this school, for many reasons. But it doesn’t take away that it’s a major part of our town. It’s on a hill and it’s quite scenic from many different parts of the town. The clock tower is something many from this area – whether they stayed or left – will always remember. This shot is also a double-exposure as it has the image of a “welcome to Delhi” sign I had taken, too.

Fitch’s Covered Bridge (black and white) and Hamden Covered Bridge (color) are two historical structures in our area. The two are separated by about 10 miles. There’s another – the Downsville Covered Bridge – that’s about 22 miles from Delhi or so. These bridges are two of about 25 remaining historical covered bridges in New York State. As a big fan of covered bridges, I love being close to a couple as they are constantly a source of photographic inspiration.

Hamden Covered Bridge.

I’m not sure how it is in places where you live, but we have quite a few seasonal roads. Basically, they are roads that aren’t taken care of, say, from November to April. In reality, they aren’t kept up that well in the other months, either. They are rough dirt roads and places where you usually want to only go if you have a vehicle that is higher up off the ground and/or has four-wheel drive.

These blue and yellow signs dot the land all over our state, but there are many of them in Delaware County and in Delhi. These signs identify historical places, houses and lands or historical happenings. They are sources to help us connect to events or places that came before our time.

HooHaa Holga Challenge:

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Holga Challenge – Your Town: Kuwait City, Kuwait

This is what your regular Kuwaiti suburb looks like. I pass by this street every day on my way to uni. I’d normally hate it, except for the fact that both of my grandparents’ houses are across this street. I could always make a stop there if I didn’t feel like going to class. They don’t mind!

Note: This is the fifth in a series of six stories that are being done by participants of the HooHaa Holga Challenge. The rest will run through Friday. See information for the rest at the bottom of this post.

By Nada AlMarshad

My love for medium format photography began when I purchased my Holga back in early 2009.

I didn’t know much about film photography back then, and getting a toy camera felt right at the time. I instantly fell in love with this camera the minute I held it in my hands, and grew to appreciate it even more since then.

Each Tuesday, our local supermarket has sales on the fruit and vegetables section. Finding a parking spot on a Monday morning is almost always impossible. According to mom, either you go very early in the morning, or don’t bother going at all.

All of my favorite photos that I have taken over the years had one thing in common — they were taken with a Holga! The nature of this camera gave me room to experiment with film and techniques without being afraid to ruin it.

I used to be an avid photographer, always trying different styles of photography until I found the ones that suited me best. That was until I started university in late 2009.

I enrolled in Kuwait University’s civil engineering program, a very demanding major that requires a lot of hard work and dedication (even sleepless nights at times!) School took most, if not all, of my time.

Two years went by and I felt like I wasn’t improving as a photographer. I started to lose interest in photography all together, until the end of 2011. I read a quote by Henri Cartier-Bresson (my hero!) and it stuck with me forever.

Sharq seafront promenade. A cool place to chill and read a book (but definitely not in the summer, unless you fancy a sunburn!) For some reason, I always find myself coming to this place whenever I get a new camera and want to shoot a test roll. I shot my first Holga film at location three years ago.

He said, “Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.”

It all made sense to me.

I made it my goal to challenge myself as a photographer this year, and take whatever opportunity presented to me to try something new, and just keep taking pictures. Naturally, this challenge was perfect to me. Another reason I decided to do this challenge is to re-discover the beauty of my own town, something that I desperately needed in the midst of the political chaos my country is going through.

I’m mostly used to taking photos when I’m abroad, since it’s easier to snap pictures of people when you’re a tourist. Carrying my Holga with me wherever I go and taking it out whenever I see something interesting and worth capturing was a challenge by itself, since people here are a tiny bit sensitive about having their pictures taken by a complete stranger, which I totally understand.

A very popular fishing spot. These kids were very camera shy at first, but after I talked to them, they didn’t mind me taking pictures. The building in the background is a huge fish market.

Another one of the difficulties was using 400ISO film. I usually work with either 100, 160, or 200 ISO film. Fast films (+400 ISO) will always result in overly-exposed frames, since it’s almost always sunny outside.

Now, back to my home town.

Kuwait City is the heart of this country. All together, Kuwait is roughly about the size of the state of New Jersey — 17,820 km to be precise.

Kuwait City occupies about 200 km of the area. That’s about 1.12% of the country, so you can imagine how tiny it is!

More fishing.

From the famous Kuwait Towers, to the Seif Palace, to theNational Museum, to the tallest sculpted tower in the world (Al Hamra Tower, that is), Kuwait City is home to most of the country’s landmarks.

What I love most about Kuwait City is the mix of the old and the new, which is greatly reflected in the architecture.

You have high-rise buildings at one side of the city, and the old souks at the other, and somehow the two blend so well together.

I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them, even though I know they won’t do this beautiful city any justice.

More images from Nada’s challenge are below:

The Kuwaiti parliament, or as they call it, Majlis AlUmmah (House of the Nation). I absolutely love the exterior of this building (not so much a fan of what’s going *inside* though). Anyway, the building was designed by the great Danish architect ?Jørn Utzon? sometime in the 70’s. (Same guy who did the Sydney House of Opera. Awesome, isn’t?)

Since the temperature can reach up to 52C during the summer, it’s very common to see ice cream vendors roaming the streets. (And if you happen to catch one, always go for Barrid Lulu! Best ice-cream .150 fils could buy)

One of the alleys of Souq AlMubarkeya. Kuwait’s oldest, and largest traditional market. You can find pretty much everything at reasonable price there if you are good at bargaining. Beside the shops, the souk includes a fish market, farmers markets for fresh fruits and vegetables, and a gold market. Interesting combination, I know. Also, if you happen to be a street photographer, this place is excellent for you.

Dalag Suhail, a restaurant in Souk AlMubarkeya, where they specialize in serving traditional dishes. It’s usually packed during the winter, when they serve the tea kettle on a coal plate.

Restaurants in Souq Almubarkeya.

The front of a Bisht* store. The sign on the left reads “Worn by the grandparents. Inherited by the grandchildren. Made from the finest wool.” (*Bisht: a traditional Arabic men’s cloak popular in Arabia and some Arab countries. Mainly worn for special occasions.)

Marina Mall, the second largest shopping mall in Kuwait. Between all the shopping malls in Kuwait City (not complaining since I’m a bit of a shopaholic), this, by far, id the quietest.

See  more of Nada on the web:

HooHaa Holga Challenge:

Day six of the HooHaa Holga Challenge is Thursday, with P.J. and Delhi, N.Y.

Holga Challenge – Your Town: Seattle, Washington

Photo by Jeff Soderquist.

Note: This is the fourth in a series of six stories that are being done by participants of the HooHaa Holga Challenge. The rest will run through Friday. See information for the rest at the bottom of this post.

By Jeff Soderquist

Seattle, Washington is located in the far northwest corner of the United States, nestled in between the Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges along the shores of the Puget Sound.

The Emerald City is a town defined by its surrounding natural beauty and distinct neighborhoods. Born and raised in Washington, I’ve lived in the greater Puget Sound region all my life, and had the pleasure of calling Seattle my home for going on six years now.

I have a very similar view of the Monorail and Space Needle from my desk at work. (photo by Jeff Soderquist)

I’ve been told a time or two over the years that you can never truly appreciate Seattle unless you live somewhere else. To that, my response has always been, “What if I love it so much I couldn’t bear to leave?” I have immense pride for my town, which is why I jumped at the chance to share these feeling through the Holga My Town project.

The challenge called for each participant to shoot two rolls of film in their Holga, one color and one black and white. I chose to shoot with Ilford Delta 400 and Kodak Portra 400. From the 24 photographs we then had to pair those down to 12 which best represented how we see our town.

Freeway Park next to my apartment, where I walk my dogs. This is my favorite tree in the city. (photo by Jeff Soderquist)

Initially I was teeming with grand ideas of things to photograph around town. My list of potential sites crisscrossed the city,
with a general disregard to any sense of order or theme.

While a few of those original ideas ended up making the cut, I quickly redirected my strategy towards the project to reflect more of a daily life approach to my town. Shot over the course of two weeks, I used my Holga to record how I live, work,
and play in my town.

The nature of the project is such that if done again, the resulting photographs would be completely different, yet the themes within them would be similar. Perhaps that is what I love so much about Seattle; the seemingly endless opportunities to explore and experience what it has to offer.

Since moving to Seattle back in 2007, my wife and I have bounced around. We’ve lived in a variety of Seattle’s distinct neighborhoods — the Central District, First Hill, Queen Anne, and Wallingford — before settling into our current location on the edge of Downtown and the vibrant Capitol Hill neighborhood.

Kerry Park (photo by Jeff Soderquist)

This time spent living in different enclaves around town helped me grow an appreciation for just how rewarding urban life could be. Having spent my college years in a small city with a thriving downtown core, I was becoming increasingly interested in locally owned and operated businesses in an attempt to distance myself from suburban strip malls and chain restaurants.

Seattle’s collection of communities with bustling main street style atmospheres was like a dream come true. I can honestly say I take pride in the fact that my town does not have a single Applebee’s or Olive Garden within city limits (although to be honest, several other large chain restaurants have operations in Seattle).

Bauhaus Books and Coffee is a Seattle institution, and a corner stone of the Capitol Hill neighborhood. (photo by Jeff Soderquist)

One has to look no further than Seattle’s beer and coffee culture to see just how passionate this town is about locally sourced goods and services.

Coffee shops and brewpubs dot the city’s map, and are the corner stone of its communities. Not just one of each mind you, but several.

I could easily obtain a
cup of coffee from a different coffeehouse with in a three-block radius of my apartment for a week and still not exhaust all my options. That’s without even considering the likes of Starbucks, Seattle’s Best or Tully’s.

Seattle is a beer-centric town, which is good cause I am a huge beer geek. (photo by Jeff Soderquist)

If you’re looking to unwind and have a beer, the options available to you are nearly as diverse. Most neighborhoods are home to a brewery, if not a handful. They vary in size and stature, from the nationally known Pyramid Brewery to the one-man operation at Northwest Peaks Brewery.

Beyond the breweries, it’s not uncommon for restaurants to have upwards to twenty beers on tap to quench your thirst.

Beyond caffeine and cold ones, the Seattle sports scene plays an important role in my day to day life.

I’ll admit Seattle isn’t necessarily known for its success in sports, but that does not mean I don’t pour my heart and soul into the local teams.

The Mariners might struggle to contend, but I still enjoy going to the games. (photo by Jeff Soderquist)

Large portions of the country are without a professional sports team, and I simply could not fathom living in such an environment. The painful loss of the Supersonics in 2004 to Oklahoma City only made me appreciate this fact more.

What would warm summer nights be without trips to Safeco Field to watch the Mariners? Or Saturday afternoons in the fall without trips to Husky Stadium with my dad to watch college football?

Sports at its best bring a community together, and I am thankful to be able to live in close proximity to so many professional and collegiate teams and experience their game day atmospheres.

Another aspect I love so much about living in an urban area is the walkability factor.

I often use the bus to get around town, or as like to call it the Urban Limo. (photo by Jeff Soderquist)

Growing up in a suburban neighborhood 30 minutes north of Seattle, owning a car was your ticket to freedom and mobility. Life without wheels was simply unimaginable.

My time in Seattle, however, has taught me that a car is not always the most effective mode of transportation through the city. Most of the areas of the city I’ve lived in around town have been set up in such a way that walking was easier and sometimes faster than taking the car.

Beyond walking, I’ve learned to rely on the bus, or as I like to call it, the urban limo, to link me between districts.

Ultimately the quest for the perfect apartment in a location near both work and a thriving community led us to move to a building located at the nexus of downtown and the Capitol Hill neighborhood.

Pike Place Market, beloved by locals and tourists alike. (photo by Jeff Soderquist)

Everything we could ask for is within a 15-minute walk of our apartment, including work.

I’ll admit we have yet to go completely car free, but rarely do we take it out of the parking garage. Even rarer is our need to use the bus system.

Moving about the city on foot has helped me feel more connected to the city in ways public transit and a car never could. I feel more connected to things around me, I recognize people on the street, and have discovered new stores and restaurants I might not have otherwise.

Our central location in the city affords me the luxury to be able to walk to the Pike Place Market to get meat and produce for the week, have lunch up on Capitol Hill while I wait for film to be developed at the lab, and bar hop through Pioneer Square before attending a baseball or football game that night all without the stepping foot in a motorized vehicle.

By now you’re probably getting a sense for why when someone tells me that living somewhere else is the only way to appreciate Seattle, I simple reply, “No thanks. I have all I need right here.”

Seattle, my town, my home.

More photos from Jeff’s challenge are below:

View of downtown Seattle from the rooftop deck of my 16-floor apartment building.

The Seattle Central Library, a few blocks my apartment is my favorite place to photograph in the city.

Capitol HIll 60 Photo, one of two local labs I use to develop my film.

See  more of Jeff on the web:

HooHaa Holga Challenge:

Day five of the HooHaa Holga Challenge is Thursday, with Nada and Kuwait City, Kuwait.

Holga Challenge – Your Town: Geneva, Switzerland

This man makes Japanese zen gardens by hand. He looks cool, doesn’t he? This is in the arts and crafts weekly market in Geneva. I love walking around there from time to time. This is a fantastic place to be for street photographers like me. (photo by Shaima)

Note: This is the sthird in a series of six stories that are being done by participants of the HooHaa Holga Challenge. The rest will run through Friday. See information for the rest at the bottom of this post.

By Shaima Marafi

I started using Holga last year in April when I saw another photographer using it on her blog.

To be honest, I thought it looked hip and cool and that is why I bought one. I got it along with some Fuji films and some filters. I didn’t like the results too much at first, especially because my first few rolls had more out-of-focus pictures than good ones.

This is in the Old Town of Geneva, in French “La Vieille Ville.” I love this area. You will find a lot antique shops, the famous Saint Pierre Cathedral and canons in the City Hall. There are also many restaurants and cafes that serve authentic Swiss cuisine like fondue, rosti, raclette and filets des Perche. However, you need good legs to walk around because it is situated on a hill with steep streets leading to the town. (photo by Shaima)

I felt disappointed and stopped using the Holga, leaving it in the drawer for months. However, one day this past February when I was organizing my cameras, I suddenly decided to use it. I found there was a roll of film already loaded. So I just took it out for the day one Sunday and shot with it, thinking I would be disappointed again.

When the film came back from the lab, I was surprised and happy with the pictures. From that day, I decided to use the Holga more often. I read more about using the camera, the best films to use and I think I got a hang of it.

I still do get some out-of-focus shots sometimes (don’t you just hate it when you forget to turn the focus to the desired distance?) and, sometimes, they become too dark, but I am getting more shots that I am very satisfied with now.

Nowadays, the Holga has become a basic camera that travels with me. I just can’t part with it!

A view. I was hoping for better sharpness but oh well. This is also Lac Leman but from a small town near Geneva. (photo by Shaima)

For this challenge, though, I was a bit disappointed with the photos. I wish I got some better shots, but oh well. You know by now that with a Holga, the results are mostly unexpected. To be honest, that is what I love about it — the feeling between dropping my films at the lab and getting them. Waiting and being surprised is truly the best feeling about shooting with the Holga.

I used Ilford 400 for the black-and-white portion of this challenge and Kodak Porta 400 for the color. Those are my favorite films, especially the Porta, which I find works so well with the Holga.

Piscine means pool. That is also at the same hotel overlooking Lac Leman. Yes I love signs. (photo by Shaima)

My town is Geneva, Switzerland. Three languages — German, French and Italian — are spoken in Geneva. I have been living here for more than 10 years and I have grown to love this little town. I love the language, the people and the atmosphere. Not everyone I know does, though. Some don’t mainly because of having to learn French. However, I think that more people are speaking English now, compared to when I first moved here.

Geneva is the most populous French-speaking part of Switzerland (about 1,240,000 people). It’s an important financial center is is the fifth most expensive city in the world. Geneva also serves as the European headquarters for the United Nations, as well as many other international organizations such as the Red Cross and World Heath Organization.

This is in downtown Geneva. I like photographing people while they pass by here. (photo by Shaima)

I have been living in Geneva for many years, but now it’s the time to move back to my country, Kuwait.

It is quite an emotional time for me as I made so many friends here. I am glad to have done this challenge as it motivated me to use the Holga to take pictures of the town. We usually take photographs when we travel or visit new places, but we tend to forget doing it where we live. We really should record our surroundings more. I think it’s a great way to document the town and also parts of our everyday life.

More photos from Shaima’s challenge are below:

I love tomatoes! This is the farmers’ market that takes place every Wednesday and Saturday in the center of Geneva, in an area called Rive. If you, like me, prefer buying local and organic produce, this is the place to be every week. Even if you don’t want to buy, just smell the flowers, the cheese and the bakery as you walk around. I love snapping street shots there, too.

This is also at the farmers’ market. I love street photography, and I find many interesting people there to photograph, but I am somewhat scared to do it with the Holga (I do it a lot with the iPhone, though, since it is much more discreet). I fear that it would scare people off. So, I tried a photo from the back. I love her hat and I love how sharp it came out.

Who doesn’t love balloons? Yet another shot at the market. This is a stand where some school children were selling homemade baked goods. The money they make goes to their class. I am not sure for what exactly, but I find many children doing that in markets here.

That is my three-year-old son. I love the colors here. This is at the Hotel President Wilson poolside. This hotel has the most expensive suite in Geneva, or so I’ve heard.

My seven-year-old son. I was hoping for better sharpness here. I love this lake, “Lac Leman.” It is also known by “Lake of Geneva,” but I guess “Lac Leman” is more accurate since this lake is huge and goes as far as France and other Swiss towns. It is one of the largest lakes in Western Europe. This lake was formed by a retreating glacier, and has a crescent shape.

A chair at a small hotel overlooking the lake.

The ice-cream man. It is summertime, so you will find many Movenpick ice-cream carts and stands around the city.

See more of Shaima on the web:

HooHaa Holga Challenge:

Day four of the HooHaa Holga Challenge is Wednesday, with Jeff Soderquist and Seattle, Washington.