Modern cameras give photographers great flexibility over the production of images, but I sometimes flinch at everything we are expected to control. While in an anti-technology mood one afternoon, I purchased a $10 plastic camera from a local drug store. The camera has a tiny flash, but no aperture, speed, or focus controls. It is clearly a camera with many limitations. Its results are predictably terrible given what most people expect from a photograph: sharp, contrasty, grain-free images that sparkle before the eye. There is not much to the camera itself; you point it and press a button.
Still, I think it is a very useful tool to work within the many limitations of a given piece of equipment. This camera has been a great way to relieve stress and to forget about what is normally expected from a photograph. Leaving those traditional rules behind for a moment has given me a new perspective on photography. For additional information on this idea, check out: www.toycamera.com.
Meanwhile, here are a few images from my toy camera.