Liz Potter

In 1990 I graduated with a bachelors degree in Photojournalism from The University of Texas, Austin. The following summer I spent two weeks at the Maine Photographic Workshops where I was introduced to the Holga. I fell in love and have used it as my main camera ever since. Shooting with a low-fi camera, with its quirks and limitations, requires a more visceral approach to photography that is fun and challenging. The process of producing an image is in two equal parts: recording the image on film and then teasing out the best possible representation of the captured moment when in the darkroom. I print using a negative carrier I made out of museum board and tape in order to give the printed image a solid, full frame–showing the remnants of the medium of film. Carrying my camera everywhere I go, and being in tune with my surroundings has given me a life full of spontaneous moments of talking to strangers, stopping the car to get a closer look, exploring areas that I never would have thought to go, engaging in life outside my comfort zone, and often being much braver than I normally would be without my Holga. The desire to capture something interesting overrides any shyness or fear and sometimes results in making connections that otherwise would never have happened. Telling a story with a frame of film is my ultimate thrill!