The art of photography includes many artistic genres. Some genres rely on photography’s ability to inform, adding visual documents to historical archives. Others focus on revealing unseen bits of the world, trying to bring us closer to nature, artificial objects, people, or cultures. But photography isn’t always realistic or narrative. Some photographic genres have only an aesthetic purpose. One can reduce autumn scenery to a black and white landscape photo with the only purpose of a fine art experiment. Others may experiment with photography techniques, photo editing, or printing. Creativity has no limits. Experimental photographic genres go up and down in popularity, but they never disappear. And they always have something to teach you. So, if you’ve never tried lomography (or never heard of it), now it’s time to give it a go.
What is Lomography?
Lomography is a photographic genre that relies on a camera rather than on a subject matter or technique. It encapsulates all photographs taken with a Lomo camera. And a Lomo camera is nothing like a modern DSLR or mirrorless camera.
A Lomo camera is a Russian 35mm film camera. It’s an ultra-basic camera with a fixed lens, one shutter speed, and manual focusing. And you have to advance the film manually after each photograph.The results, as you may expect, are full of flaws. Misplaced focus, wrong colors, heavy vignetting, distortions, and blurs are just some of them. But this is exactly what excites lomography photographers and keeps them going on taking pictures with a plastic camera.
How Did Lomography Begin?
Lomography didn’t start with the introduction of LOMO cameras. Back then, one was happy to have any type of camera and aimed to create clear, natural-looking photos. Lomography appeared in the 1990s in Austria when a group of students discovered some old Russian cameras and began experimenting with them. It soon became an art movement.
The initial group of photographers popularized the movement and started producing their own cameras, called Lomo. They are still poor technical cameras designed to transform their flaws into signature looks. And they support the growth of the lomography movement.
The philosophy of lomography revolves around a few principles. The first one is spontaneity. With a modern digital camera, you get to fiddle with camera settings, preview photographs on a screen, and use additional lighting. Most Lomo cameras don’t even have a viewfinder. You point the camera at your subject and hope for the best. And it takes developing the film to see the result. Therefore, one takes fewer photos but is more intentional and thoughtful.
The second principle is experimentation. You are forbidden to be conventional. Lomography artists actively try to produce spectacular effects, break conventional photography rules, and create artful fantasy worlds.
Rules/Characteristics of Lomography
Lomography doesn’t have rules per se. Although, to call your photos “lomography,” you have to check a few boxes.
First of all, you have to be spontaneous and not plan your photos in any way. This means having the camera with you all the time, shooting without looking for a great composition, forgetting about where light is coming from and how much of it, and not taking too long observing the subject. Be hasty, playful, spontaneous, and impassive.
The trick is to be fluid and connected. You miss the brief if you start thinking about how to be original and come up with unique angles and perspectives. Lomography encourages photographers to find their flow and not stress about the results. It’s about being there and recording the surroundings with all your senses. If something attracts you, get closer and photograph it without even looking at the camera. It may be from your hip level, above your head, or anywhere you feel the need. It’s more of a dance than a photo setup.
Then, for an authentic lomographyy look, you need to make at least a few “mistakes.” For example, you can photograph in the direction of the sun to make sure you catch a few light leaks or overexposed areas. Or you can create an intentional blur by moving the camera while taking the picture. Or you can push or pull the film for more interesting effects, shoot through plastic, partially cover the lens, use long exposures wrongly, use the most unusual angles and perspectives, and develop the film as non-standard as possible.
Most lomography photographs have a pop-style colorful look, similar to a chemistry experiment that went wrong. They are eccentric, fun, and odd. Often, they are overexposed or underexposed, grainy, and confusingly mix clarity and blur. And. although the original Lomo cameras had a 35mm lens, nowadays, any lens is accepted. The more extreme, the better.
How to Do Lomography
Lomography is something you have to feel before experimenting with it. It’s more of a mindset than a technique. Can you get rid of almost all you’ve learned about camera settings, composition, and framing? Can you live in the moment and embrace whatever the camera can capture as part of your reality? If the answers are yes, you are a good candidate for lomography.
To achieve a lomography style, you need to experiment with incorporating the usual photography mistakes. A manual film camera will keep you away from automatic settings that try to do things right. Also, you won’t be able to preview your photos. But even so, you need to help the camera make mistakes. For example, you can set camera settings for a particular setup and use them for another (e.g., long exposure in good lighting conditions for overexposed images). Or set camera settings without looking so you don’t know how the camera will react to each scene.
You should also experiment with extreme camera angles, out-of-focus or misplaced focus, the juxtaposition of elements, multiple exposures, shooting into the light, and any other thing that crossed your mind but was forbidden by regular photography rules. While classic photography teaches you ‘to see’ the world before pressing the shutter release button, lomography teaches you “not to look and let go’”before pressing the shutter release button. You shouldn’t be calculating focusing distance, the available amount of light, or the depth of field. You shouldn’t be thinking about what is in focus and what isn’t. Just capture a moment and a feeling without thinking about the result.
Lomography often relates to over-saturated colors, soft focus, light leaks, and distortions. Therefore, the subject matter may help you. Look for colorful subjects, high-contrast sceneries, and powerful light sources. And don’t forget you can always overlay two or more images to create the perfect look.
Types of Cameras Used for Lomography
Although you can use any type of camera for lomography, the best ones are those designed for this photographic genre. It makes things easier for you to have a manual film camera with basic characteristics and poor image quality. A simple point-and-shoot camera that can fit your pocket and accompany you anywhere may always be at hand. Stay away from automatic features that try to fix exposure and focus. Our best picks for lomography cameras are the following.
Lomography Diana F+
It’s a medium format camera created by the original lomography enthusiastic group that creates square images on 120mm film. The camera has a removable lens for super wide-angle pinhole shots, a flash, a plastic lens, two shutter settings (daylight and ‘B’), three aperture settings, and manual focus. A loving recreation and homage to the original 1960’s Diana camera, Diana F+ creates the same blurry, color-drenched, imperfect photographs. It comes with a small packet of plastic color gel filters for extended creativity.
Lomography Fisheye 2 Point-n-Shoot 35mm Camera
This camera is simple, easy to use, and ready for adventure. The camera captures a 170-degree field of view, allows long exposures and multiple exposures, and has a built-in electronic flash. You get one focal length (10mm), one aperture (f/8), and two shutter speeds (1/100 and ‘B’). No viewfinder to block your imagination. The camera uses the standard 35mm film, easily to process anywhere.
Lomography Lomo’Instant Camera
If you want more flexibility, a camera with three lens attachments is the choice for you. Lomo’Instant has a built-in 27mm lens, a lens attachment for portraits (35mm), one for close-ups, and one for fisheye pictures. It also allows multiple exposures. You get five aperture settings (f/8 – f/32), a built-in flash, two shutter speeds (1/125 and ‘B’), and an optical viewfinder.
Conclusion
Lomography is a niche photographic genre with enthusiastic fans and unique philosophy. Even if you are committed to standard photography, trying something different that breaks all the rules helps you see the world in different colors, enriches your creativity, and provides a new way of finding inspiration.
Furthermore, experimenting with lomography is affordable and fun. You can use your favorite subject matter but photograph it following the “no-rules” rule of lomography. And if your current camera and lens are too professional to allow mistakes, a single-use point-and-shoot film camera will offer an instant revelation. Can you imagine creating a beautiful image without thinking about camera settings and composition? Use your intuition and go with the flow!
