nicnichols.com featured in "LightLeaks" Magazine!

I just got word that Light Leaks magazine will be publishing my work in their next issue (Issue #2), and if you have not had a chance to check it out, go order a copy now! Its a great visual forum for film photographers using toy cameras. Its a little pricey, but hey.. you'll get a hell of alot better inspiration from one issue then from the last 5 years of Communication Arts!

Toy camera vs. Digital Camera?

I have received several emails in the last few weeks about how I created the ‘effects’ and ‘light leak textures’ in my images, so to answer them all in a few quick notes: All the images you see on the site were created on film. Most using ‘toy cameras’. What is a toy camera? It’s a camera made of plastic, costing less then a few rolls of film. People ask me, if I work for one of the most cutting edge digital photography companies, and teach advanced photoshop to college students, why do I choose to create my images using a $19 Holga and 4 year old film?
I guess it would come down to the organic nature of the image.. while digitial photography has made tremendous progress over the last ten years, I see so many photographers spending hours in photoshop trying to create an organic look to their digital captures. Do you need a $5,000 camera, a big G5 and Photoshop to create a great image? Of course not..
Why struggle with photoshop filters and cheap effects, when you can simply grab a Holga, a $1 roll of 120 film and go shoot? My philosophy on images comes down to this: If you need to add effects, filters and embellishment to your image to make it better, then you didn’t start with a very good image.
Ya.. I admit it, I was the first person around to get a Nikon D200, its great for images of my family and my dog loves having her photo taken… but that’s about all it will ever be used for.

What is the best Toy camera, and where do I get one?

My first choice has always been a Holga, they are cheap, you can change the image shape from square to rectangle, (6x6 or 6x4.5) and you can make modifications to them pretty easily. The new ones even have film tensioners, tripod mounts, shutter speeds and interchangeable film plates. Don’t bother going to the local camera store and spending five bucks for a roll of 120 film, hit up eBay, and buy a big box of out dated film and just go shoot..After all, it’s a $20 plastic camera- why use good film? If 35mm is your film size of choice, then you need to pick up a Lomo, and while you are there, check out some of the other cameras they offer, like the action sampler.. it’s the only camera I took to Vegas, cas if you’re going to be seeing double, you might as well photograph like that..
eBay is the best resource for film and some of the cameras, but watch their prices on the Holga.. Freestyle Photo has the new ones cheap, and Maine Photographic Resource even gives you a discount when you buy a bunch at time. Buy a half dozen, and set up each one a little differently… I have one for square, one for rectangle, one with a flash… even one with the Lomo tunnel vision lens.. its like getting 6 different cameras for a whopping hundred bucks.