Blurry Pictures

There are two main reason why your pictures may be blurry: motion blur, or focusing errors. Movement blur is most commonly diagnosed by the whole picture being out of focus, whereas focusing errors usually result in something being in focus; just not what you were planning!

Movement blur

The most common reason for blurry Holga images is when the bulb switch is incorrectly set. This switch sometimes has a mind of its own and can get switched over to 'B' mode without you realising. This problem usually manifests itself in two ways; over-exposed images, and streak like blurs moving in one direction.

If you want to protect yourself against movement blur, you should put your Holga on something sturdy like a wall or a table while taking your picture. This stops your camera moving and decreases the chance that your image will be blurry.

Focusing errors

Another reason why your pictures could be blurry is incorrect focusing. This may usually be diagnosed by your whole image being a little soft, with nothing in focus.

With focusing errors, you may not see blurred streaks on your image. Focusing errors usually disappear with experience. The more you use your Holga, or indeed any zone-focus camera, the more you get used to estimating distances.

If you find yourself struggling with focusing distances, you can use a rangefinder card, like the Human Rangefinder, which should help you get used to the various distances.

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