A lesson in lomography

WORDS: Remy Raitt

The creative, unpredictable art of lomography photography has got shutterbugs worldwide snapping away enthusiastically. It’s likely that you’ve seen lomo photos on your Facebook feed, or maybe even witnessed lomographers on a photographic safari in your city.

Lomography cameras – easy to identify by their bright colours – are usually made of plastic and are capable of producing a wild, vivid array of effects, techniques and hues. This is surprising at first, as the cameras are often mistaken for children’s toys.

Fiona Peake of the recently opened Lomography Embassy Store in Johannesburg shares the history behind this trendy and personally rewarding hobby:

“Lomography began in the early 1990s, when two students in Vienna, Austria, stumbled upon the Lomo Kompakt Automat (Lomo LC-A), a small Russian camera. Mindlessly taking shots from the hip and sometimes looking through the viewfinder, they were astounded by the amazing photos that it produced – the colours were vibrant, with deep saturation, and vignettes framed the shot.”

This trend caught on quickly and soon the students’ friends each wanted their own Lomo LC-As, igniting a new style of artistic experimental photography that we now know as lomography.

“Following the mania that ensued upon the introduction of lomography, its founders visited the Lomo factory in St. Petersburg to work out a contract for the worldwide distribution of this fantastic little camera,” Fiona continues. “Soon, the 10 Golden Rules were created as a guide to this analogue movement, followed by exhibitions, world congresses, parties, installations, collaborations and events.”

With this giant boom in the experimental movement, new products, films and accessories were developed and www.lomography.com served as the communication hub for lomographers. At the same time, Lomography Gallery Stores and Lomography Embassy Stores were set up worldwide.

Since lomography’s inception, there’s been no looking back and films upon films of lomo photos have been produced worldwide. Embassy Stores, such as the one in Joburg, have popped up in over 75 countries across the globe, serving the ever-growing community.

Fiona says that, in an Embassy Store, one will find a wide range of products, including cameras, accessories, books, t-shirts, albums and a large variety of film.

After your visit to the store, it’s all about experimentation – anything is possible with a lomography camera in hand. Think authentic, off-the-wall and crazy, colourful snaps. The lomography credo is “be fast, be open-minded, be communicative”. 

More information: www.lomography.com 

Lomography Embassy store, Johannesburg: 011 403 0302