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Down the Nile with a Plastic Camera

'Egypt: Down the Nile with a Plastic Camera' is a collection of images shot on a Holga 6x6cm camera during a trip down the River Nile in February 2007. This isn't a serious book. There I've said it. You've no idea how much better I feel getting that off my chest. This book is more a soufflé than a main course. And probably a soufflé made by someone who kept opening the oven door to see whether said dish was thoroughly cooked. So what's it about then, this… um... limp pudding of a book?

Let me explain. In February 2007 I travelled to Egypt, visiting Cairo for a few days, before sailing down the Nile from Luxor to Aswan. On the trip I took a Holga camera and copious amounts of film (bought at a huge reduction in price because it was 18 months out of date). The Holga is a Chinese built camera made entirely of plastic. It is cheaply made. No, it is very cheaply made. There is no internal metering and the camera has a focusing method that is part guesswork and… well, actually it's pretty much all guesswork. The Holga isn't a sophisticated camera, but therein lies its charm. In this increasingly digital world, it makes a refreshing change to use a camera with no pretensions to being at the cutting-edge of technology. The resulting images are anything but sharp, and strange, almost surreal distortions occur toward the edges of frames. But I like that. I probably wouldn't use the Holga for commercial work (unless I had very strange clients) but when the fancy takes me and I just want something a little bit different, the Holga is the camera of choice.

The book is 7.5 by 7.5 inches and is a perfect bound softback with a high gloss cover. The book is published by Lulu and can be bought from their online store by clicking on the image above. Lulu is a 'print on demand' service and when the book is ordered it will be printed and shipped directly from them. The typical lead time for delivery is one to two weeks depending on the chosen shipping option. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about the book, though please note that I do not stock the book personally.