I decided I should probably try and get an update on February 29th. I always wondered what happened if you were born on 29th. Do you celebrate your birthday on the 28th or the 1st of March on the non-leap years? Anyone out there born on the 29th February?

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Decorated holgas! Yep, I've been at it again. Three new ones for you to look at. I'm selling the first one!

Elegant Holga

Based on a Victorian/EGL theme:

Front:


Back:


Top:


It's currently at $95 including 2 rolls of film + shipping. See more details and go bid HERE!

This next one I made for Matthew:

Black is the old Black Holga





It's done with heat sealed vinyl! The No Photography badge was his idea.

Country Holga

Now, this one is mine... I finally got around to doing it after much planning:

Front:


Back:


It's done with REAL wood veneer panels. I'm really quite proud of it. I styled it around a Victorian/Western theme. It took me quite a while to complete mine and there was all sorts of troubleshooting involved and everything you see that is intricate (including the typeface) is handpainted.

I am currently working on a couple of commissions too! That is brilliant that I can bring the fabulous world of the Holga into people's lives and in their own STYLE too!

When someone commissions a Holga from me, I work with them to figure out what kinds of styles they like based on colours and textures and fashions and hobbies. Then I spend a day creating a mockup in photoshop detailing materials I will use etc. I design to a budget that the customer is willing to pay and that way it is easier to finalise.

After we tweak the design and decide to go for it, I take a 50% deposit and then take photos of the finished thing to make sure they are happy with the final project! After I receive the full payment I send it out in the post! It's a really enjoyable process for me because I get to use a lot of my skills.

So, maybe you're asking how you go about commissioning one from me? Well, you can either message me on SG or email me at cherryvega@gmail.com
Prices vary from $60-$120 + shipping depending on the detail and materials involved.

I am also taking in people's existing Holga's and charging just $25-60+ shipping to customise their existing camera! So, if you already have a Holga then that works too. I just deduct the cost of the camera from the design.

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I am having so much fun doing it. It's really nice to have a creative outlet that is more focused and physical than photography. I miss painting and drawing a lot but I really feel as if I've lost those skills and even though I keep meaning to reattempt to teach myself it just seems so daunting. I have no idea where to begin. It's one of those things that used be so natural to me and now it is such an effort just to draw something simple. Pah.

It's also really nice to be able to make a bit of cash offering a service. I get such a joy out of it. And, let me tell you, I've had a lot of bad news with money and debts lately and it is nice to be able to have a way to create some money that I can just put back into my hobbies instead of being swallowed by my ridiculous debts.

I am trying to keep all money that I make from offering these things and putting it straight back into these kinds of projects so I can keep doing them. I think it's good for me to have something else to focus on. It keeps my attention span from darting all over the place and I feel more collected and together, you know?

Then, the very small amount of money I make from selling prints I am putting straight back into film purchasing and other expenses associated with my "hobby" photography (i.e. the photography I do for fun, rather than for a living).

I am saving up to buy a new camera that I have wanted forever. The shame of it is, that I am mostly coveting it for it's polaroid capabilities and with that shutting down... well, fuji make film for it too, so that is okay. I think it will be a few months before I can afford it, though. I enjoy having a goal like that.

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I'm reading a book called Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson at the moment. It's really enthralling. It's quite a technical book and extremely well researched. It is very Science Fiction. Harr Harr. Seriously, though, it is. For a slightly challenged reader like me it is taking a while to get through it, but I am thoroughly enjoying it.

It is about the colonisation of Mars and the environmental, scientific and humanistic battles that ensue after arrival on the planet's surface. His insight into the way human's behave in new, challenging and ever changing situations is quite remarkable. It is really gripping. And the first in a trilogy, so that is always good.

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Some "artsy" photos of my Holga:





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Don't forget my prints store...

k i n o t r o p i a