People have been asking me what 'lomography' is and how I achieve the effect on my more recent work. So, for them everyone else who's interested, here's the lowdown:
A potted history:
The name was inspired by a Russian company; LOMO Plc in St Petersberg, although 'Lomography' is actually the commercial trademark of Lomographische AG, an Austrian company. LOMO Plc produced the now-legendary 35mm LOMO LC-A Kompakt Automat camera in the 1980s, which was rediscovered in 1991 by Lomographische. They bought the sole marketing and distribution rights and became the sole distributers for the LOMO LC-A outside of the then Soviet Union.
Well, it's partly explained by what first attracted the Austrian Lomography founders to it. Apparently they were very taken with it's; "unique, colourful, and sometimes blurry" images. Lomo photographs are characterised by vignetting (the dark shadows around the edges of the image) and deep, over-saturated colours, which even make a wonderful difference to black and white photography. Because of its cheap, plastic build the original cameras were/are prone to light leaks which can also add an interesting depth to the images.
The cameras are compact, light and easy to use anywhere, anytime.
I use a digital SLR camera and add the lomography effect afterwards in post-processing. This way I can offer buyers the best of both worlds: an original image and/or one with the lomo effect. (I like to think of the second option as adding a little extra nostalgia!)
I personally adore the lomo effect - it gives a shot that classic, retro vintage-feel which is so popular these days and also adds a depth to my work which I really enjoy. I love the slight unpredictability of it, too. It's made photography fun for me again!
Take care - bye for now!
Em ♥
Em ♥
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