About Diana Cameras
Hope had a collection of Diana cameras. The picture here, taken by Julie, shows a few of them. Hope sometimes put numbers on the cameras, simply because it allowed her to identify which one was which. Every Diana camera is unique because of the light leaks and the imperfections of the plastic lenses. Maybe Hope liked the idea that a factory process, based on manufacturing identical objects, led to the creation of unique items. She was, at times, willing to believe that good things could come of processes not quite in control of themselves.
The Power Sales Company, located in Pennsylvania, distributed the Hong Kong- manufactured Diana cameras in the U.S.. The wholesale price for a gross (144) of the toy cameras was about fifty-cents per unit. Production started sometime in the sixties and ended in the seventies. Various reissues and like-models have made appearances since then, but Hope preferred vintage Dianas. People were often willing to give them away, and Hope was there to receive.
Dianas have been used in various art schools since they were first made, primarily as efforts to get students to the very basics of the photographic process. For Hope, I think she liked capturing things that weren’t actually there, bursts of aesthetic activity that resulted from the imperfections of her toy cameras.
In a Boston Globe review of Hope’s show at the Currier Gallery in Manchester, N.H., the critic describes Hope as an “extraordinary artist,” saying this about her use of Diana cameras: “The finished products are all slightly imperfect, uncropped squares within which are hidden somewhat less obvious circles . . . . With the humblest of photographic techniques Zanes manages an enticing combination of sensuality and insight while turning the technical disadvantages of her tools into artistic assets.”
Hope was often seen with a few of those blue and black Dianas hanging around her neck, looking for something we might have missed. At Hope Zanes Photography, we are passionate about capturing the beauty and essence of every subject we photograph. Our team of skilled photographers has years of experience in the field, and we are committed to providing you with the highest quality work.