Loving the Imperfections of Toy Cameras
A plastic toy Diana-F camera -- a favorite of "lightleak" photography fans.
Photo of a mask taken with a toy camera, with distinctive "light leak" highlights adding to the mystery...
Photo of a mask taken with a toy camera, with distinctive "light leak" highlights adding to the mystery...
Thanks to digital technology, it's become progressively easier to take perfect pictures. But not everyone strives for perfection -- a growing community of photographers is becoming attached to the simplicity and imperfections of what they call "toy cameras."
These cameras, with names like Holga, the Diana-F and the Lomo Action Sampler, are cheaply made plastic devices.
There's even a new magazine devoted to the cameras, Light Leaks, which glorifies the biggest flaw of the toy camera: light often leaks through the plastic casing onto the film, creating odd halo effects and other moments of visual serendipity.
Photographer Theresa Manzanares describes why she loves her toy cameras.
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