Lomography is a new movement of modern photographers who use special cameras and strive to take the simplest, but at the same time, spectacular pictures. Many lovers of photographic art at least once in their lives experiment with the so-called lomocameras. So what is it?
A bit of history
In 1984, the Leningrad Optical and Mechanical Association produced the LOMO-Compact-Avtomat camera, surprisingly easy to use and capable of capturing the world around as it is. The LOMO apparatus did not require expensive film and professional skills. The popularity of this camera, however, came a little later - only 10 years later, when students from Vienna named Matthias Figel and Wolfgang Stranzinger first noticed how interesting simple pictures taken on it can be. So the genre of "lomo" was born and the international lomographic community was created. The Australians came up with their own decoding of the abbreviation, which, in fact, also reflects the essence of lomographic art: LOve and MOtion (love and movement).
What cameras are considered lomocams?
In order to become the owner of a lomocamera, it is not at all necessary to buy fashionable and expensive devices from abroad: after all, the Soviet Union was the birthplace of lomocamera. Visit the nearest flea market next weekend!
Until the above-mentioned Lomography community began to produce special cameras of a new generation, only the Soviet LOMO-Compact-Avtomat camera was used for lomography. At the present time, quite a lot of cameras are being produced that are used for the same purpose. For example, Action Sampler, ActionSampler Flash, Colorsplash and FishEye camera (also called fisheye). All of these cameras give roughly the same result: darkened corners, lack of depth in photographs, and a charming retro vibe. Especially, however, I would like to note the Korean camera "Holga" - this is a relatively inexpensive device made mainly of plastic and belonging to the category of toy cameras. It has become popular with lomography enthusiasts for its amazingly vibrant colors and near-perfect darkened corners.
True, if you are going to do lomography in almost extreme situations (for example, during active movement), then you should remain faithful to the Soviet LOMO-Compact-Avtomat. This camera has an amazingly durable body, and its lenses are able to withstand temperatures down to -20.
The imperfection of photography (blur, sense of movement, darkness) is what gives lomophotography its charm. So try it and look for interesting effects!
A good example of a photo taken with a lomo camera is this: slightly darkened corners, but the image is sharp enough. In order to start feeling your camera, you have to practice a little. Lomophotography is also characterized by multiple exposure, when images are superimposed on each other, creating an amazing surreal effect.