John Reilly

I work with scanned film that’s been shot with vintage Diana plastic cameras and their modern counterpart the Holga.   Scanning the film frees me from the darkroom and it’s assortment of nasty chemicals.  Sticking with film gives me images that a digital camera just can’t do.  The cheap plastic lenses distort the images, each of my cameras has in essence it’s own fingerprint, no two shoot alike.  With a fixed shutter speed and limited focus and apertures, one might find these cameras limiting.  I like the challenge of getting the shot I want within these limits, making the camera work for me despite it’s limitations.  Whether shooting the violent bursts of color that come with Spring, or making my own worlds for my tin toys to explore, these cameras’ low quality lend a surreal quality to both worlds.