Lomography

Lomography is a commercial trademark of Lomographische AG, Austria for products and services related to photography. The 35 mm LOMO LC-A camera employed an unusual lens which produced large amounts of distortion at the edges of the image whilst keeping the centre sharp.

Lomography emphasizes casual, snapshot photography. Accidents such as over-saturated colors, lens artifacts, and exposure defects are rehabilitated to produce swirly, abstract effects - a trait emphasized by practitioners. Others use the technique to document everyday life, because the small camera size and ability to shoot in low light encourages candid photography, photo reportage and photo vérité.

Current models marketed by Lomographische AG include Lomo LC-A, Holga, Holga 35mm, Actionsampler, Fisheye, Pop-9, Oktomat, Fisheye, Colorsplash, Colorsplash Flash, F-stop Bang, SuperSampler, Horizon 202, Seagull TLR and Smena 8M.

A Lomograph holds a charm all of its own. Somehow, everything is amplified, making ordinary objects stand out, enhancing details that would normally go unnoticed. Characterised by ever-changing variables such as the mysterious vignettes that frame the shot, light leaks, lo-fi grain, beautiful blurs, the magical balance of contrast and saturation… just to name a few.

A combination these factors and a healthy touch of the unexpected go into making each Lomograph unique. Essentially, Lomography embraces the element of surprise that only analogue film photography can bring and wholeheartedly celebrates the outcome.

Experiment with different kinds of films, and try different tips and techniques, such as cross-processing (x-pro) – it works well with Lomographic cameras!