Lomography - Forgetting the Rules of Photography

By Maya Newman posted 17/03/08

"Lomography" is the name given to the style of photography common to the community of users of Lomo cameras. Most famous of the Lomo cameras is the LC-A a small "compact automat" film camera (originally built at the Lomo factory in St. Petersburg) which has a special lens which enables the camera to be used under a variety of light conditions while set on "automatic". The camera's portability and a set of attitudes developed by early western European fans of the camera led to a style of photography in which none of the customary technical rules of "classic" photography were adhered to. In fact the "Lomographic Society" most famously has a set of "rules" which are mainly (and jokingly) concerned with not caring about any rules!

The LC-A itself is quite smart for this purpose, it's results are often unpredictable and lomographers encourage this by using a variety of methods, the most popular of which is cross processing (shooting a slide film but developing it as prints). Lomographers also use double & triple exposure, expired film, underexposure, not looking through the viewfinder (very lomo) and various other ploys to create what are often unpredictable & random results. Sometimes the camera produces the famous black circular vignette but no one can predict on which occasion this will occur!

Lomography is about the moment and the single most liberating thing about the approach is the constant and often seemingly random shooting, which gives space to not having to think about what you are doing, just using your intuition and instinct. When you shoot this way you become so fast that you take the picture before your brain becomes involved.

So forget about all the technical stuff, set your camera to automatic and always have it with you ready to shoot. Let it become part of your life. Let your instinct take over. Be obsessive!

Thanks to Maya Newman for this technique

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  • 8660846@N02

    Alan Humphris said...

    Great style this, dynamic and vibrant. Never realised there was a name and movement for these. Less a technique than a life style! :-) Photography has a potential quite different to that of art, and this style would help unleash it. Thanks for that. Al

    Posted on 18/03/2008 10:20

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  • 13531892@N02

    robinhj said...

    I tried to reproduce this effect in my portfolio (see Decay) but had to change the picture because everyone just said it was badly taken :-)

    Posted on 18/03/2008 16:28

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  • 74128918@N00

    Maya Newman said...

    Hi Alan - Thanks for your kind comments! Hi Robin - These are not photoshop "effects". My approach is about the exact opposite, letting the picture happen rather than controlling or effecting afterwards. I personally don't aim to take pictures out of focus.

    Posted on 18/03/2008 23:04

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  • 57389708@N00

    timtop said...

    Hi Maya - good to see another lomographer here on picturethis, spreading the cross-processed over-saturated double exposed love... (I've yet to write my tutorial as asked - yours is some standard to meet!) timtop

    Posted on 10/04/2008 13:06

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