Sunday, January 19, 2014

The Return of WOCA 120G!


It's been a long time since I last loaded a 120 medium format roll film into my WOCA 120G plastic toy camera, which is similar to my HOLGA 120GN as shown above. The last time I uses my HOLGA was in 2012, which I was taking some shots of an old school playground which had long been demolished. The results from that outing was pretty bad I must admit. I believe it got to do with the overcast weather on that day. Despite of the 2 lighting modes - Cloudy (f/13) and Sunny (f/20), a shutter speed of approximately 1/100 second and a mounted flash light, these plastic toy cameras still require a large amount of sun light to make a proper exposure. With that said, choosing the right film speed is important too. 

I really like these two new models over those other fanciful models, mainly because the lenses are made of glass. The lens on the original Holga 120S (which I used to own one) is plastic. Well you'll see the results from WOCA 120G after the jump.


On the second last day of 2013, I took WOCA out for some street shootings on 2 rolls of Kodak Ektacolor 160 which are long expired on September 2008. They are given to me by a close friend. So I thought it would be great to use it for some experimental bokeh fun shots. Two ideals subjects came into mind and I headed straight down to National Museum of Singapore.

Singapore Biennale 2013 is on. Starting from 26 Oct 2013 to 16 Feb 2014. The Singapore Biennale was established in 2006 as the country's pre-eminent platform for international dialogue in contemporary art. There are two outdoor art installations namely Wormhole by Indonesian artist Eko Prawoto.



Artist's statement:
Wormhole punctuates Singapore's cityscape by pitching three bamboo mounds in front of the National Museum of Singapore. Prawoto's installation resembles a range of mountains - natural forms familiar in Indonesia, but wholly alien to Singapore.




In Indonesia folklore, the mountain is regarded as an axis which mediates between the earth and the heavens; this idea is echoed in the title of this work, which refers to a theoretical opening in the galaxy which allows one to traverse time and space, as well as to the insignificant passage through earth created by a burrowing earthworm.


Inside the installation, the slow passage of time and clouds as seen through the skylights, as well as the smell and texture of bamboo, recall a time when we may have lived more intimately with these sensations and materials.
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Traditional Indonesian wooden lumbung and artefacts by Indonesian artist, ROSID.

Artist's statement:
A lumbung is a small wooden hut used by farmers in Indonesia to store harvested rice and protect it from the elements and pests. Self-taught artist Rosid converted a lumbung into a multi-functioned space which acts as a library, prayer room and gathering point for the community in Bandung which it now serves.






The exterior of this lumbung is decorated with farming implements, which, together with the structure, are a tribute to the artist's lineage as an anak petani (a son of famers). Rosid intended Lumbung Ilmu to be his personal sanctuary, but it has become a repository of personal and cultural values and traditions which are fast vanishing today, and a material manifestation of his desire to share these values and his love for learning with the wider community.




I must say I'm really happy with these results. The only downside of using these toy cameras is the framing in the viewfinder and light leakages. Each toy camera works differently. On the flip side, I love the vignettes and bokeh effects. Back in 2007, I made a few portrait shots of a man outside the former National Stadium, with my HOLGA 120GN, which I have blogged here.

Meanwhile you can visit this website where there are many detailed information about these toy cameras. For images, you can Google search on it.

Last but not least, I have more confidence using my HOLGA and WOCA. I still have 3 expired rolls of FujiFilm Provia and 10 rolls of Kodak TMAX 400. Well not necessary using all as I'm planning to go back for my Seagull-4A TLR for street photography and more portraitures.

From time to time, I'll post more HOLGA and/or WOCA images here. So watch out or subscribe to my blog site for new blog posts.
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All images are made with WOCA 120G on Kodak Ektacolor 160 (Expired Sep 2008). Film processing at Kim Tian Photo Lab and scanned on Epson V700. Minor post in Photoshop.

All images posted are protected by copyright, no use of this image shall be granted without the written permission from Martin Liew.

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