Lomography-Retro Photography

Lomography is an artistic style of photography and trademark of an Austrian camera company, Lomographische AG. With a cult following that reaches almost every corner of the globe, lomography is a relatively new style of photography that encompasses a retro snapshot feel.

Growing in popularity in the early 1990’s, the Lomo technique was borne from the discovery of the unique photography style created by using a Russian camera, the Lomo Kompakt Automat also known as the LC-A. Users of this little camera soon realized that its cheap manufacturing coupled with a little fun and imagination could produce fun, quirky photographs (lomographs) with high color saturation, outer edge vignette framing and a grainy effect that together was somehow arty and pleasing to the eye.

 

 Lomography Cameras

Lomography cameras are analogue, or film style cameras and dedicated lomographers do not generally take kindly to digital post processing in an attempt to pass photos off as genuine Lomo style. Special camera options are often featured on different models, including fish eye lenses, pinhole lenses, multiple lenses including some cameras that shoot from 4 lenses simultaneously for a unique effect, and not to be forgotten, a Lomo specialty, a colored flash.

These guidelines set the standard and inspiration for lomography and help make the technique what it is today:

1. Take your camera everywhere you go.
2. Use it any time – day and night.
3. Lomography is not an interference in your life, but part of it.
4. Try the shot from the hip.
5. Approach the objects of your Lomographic desire as close as possible.
6. Don’t think. (William Firebrace)
7. Be fast.
8. You don’t have to know beforehand what you captured on film.
9. Afterwards either.
10. Don’t worry about any rules.