While photo stores and developping places are increasingly turning digital and hi-tech, something else is happening behind the scenes and that is that people are starting to discover the magic of the ever-so falliable toy cameras and "crappy cameras". Cheap plastic cameras with plastic lenses or technology so old that it's been forgotten and re-remembered, cameras like the Holga (and in fact the entire Lomo line), primitive pinhole cameras (sometimes handmade), and many others, will not give you the sharp clean lines of a digital camera - not even close! - but the surprise and experimental effects are wonderfully magical.
It's easy to see why it's becoming something of a retro phenomenon, and there are several groups on >flickr dedicated to them.
The Exposure Gallery (851 Beatty St.) has a on that showcases these non-standard, non-professional cameras. "Cheap Shots" runs from Feb 24th to Mar 12th and features prints by a variety of artists.
Unfortunately, I was a little underwhelmed at this turnout. A big part of that is the fact that it's a volunteer-run space that curates shows by putting up a theme notice and accepting submissions with a hefty entrance fee rather than on commmission. Also they try to incorporate up and coming artists, so that's nice to see, but every show I've seen there lacks the unity of a curated show. A little of this, a little of that, all different ideas of what constitutes a cheap camera and as many different skill levels. There were some nice big c-prints at the back that I really liked, as well as some holga shots that looked like they were from Mexico maybe, and some panoramic shots of the ocean that were screenprinted onto watercolour paper to give it a nice textured look. There were a few others that were well done and simply didn't appeal to me, but I honestly cannot see how some shots on the ferry, or a vacant lot made it into a gallery.
It's worth checking out to see the range of toy/cheap/experimental cameras out there, but these ones are better.
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