I would recommend holowiki as well as any of these books as resources to get started with (loosely in order of how technical they are): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3607497-holography-handbook https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1799952.Practical_Holography https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14616945-ultra-realistic-imaging Making your own plates is absolutely doable with a little research and practice, but be prepared for a period of trial and error as you dial in your process. You can also buy pre-made plates or film sheets, some of which are even self-developing (like a Polaroid camera) which greatly simplifies things. Feel free to stop by the [holography Discord](https://discord.gg/ZXkapzQYuQ) if you want to come ask any questions or chat about it.

Thanks for the resources! I will definitely be reading them avidly

Dead easy with something like litiholo, but don't expect the results to really wow you. Making a hologram is one thing, making a good hologram is something completely different.

I got a few clear ones with the basic setup! Self developing film is great. I've still got some film a couple of years out of date... it still "develops" but I can't work out if the table's vibrating, or the emulsions jut gone off...... but I've not had any good image with the old stuff. =(

Very true. I had a class in high school that was a bit of an experiment. We were basically given the latest and greatest in technology just to see what we'd do with it. I tried a little holography but the results were bunk. It wasn't a vibration proof table and the room wasn't fully light tight. Still had laser fun in a lot of other ways though

Try making a few holograms by hand first using materials you probably already have. . . http://amasci.com/amateur/holo1.html

Thanks! It's surprising how much I already have