a complete guide to lomography

introductionWhether you’re a professional or a amateur photographer, or just love analogue, Lomography is a vibrant community waiting for you to join it.

This book goes through the different cameras and films that are available from Lomography to help get you started in this analogue movement.

Then there are a range of photographs taken with these so you can see the weird and wonderful lomographs that can be made, and how to do them yourself!

Once you’ve mastered how to be a lomographer, you’re ready to load up some film and start taking your own lomographs. You can upload them to the www.Lomography.com so you can share your photos with other lomographers and discover a whole new level of analogue lovers!

When taking your photos why not try the 10 rules of Lomography that lomographers follow?

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

cONTENTS2.

18.

24.

32.

40.

46.

52.

The Cameras

The Film: Format

The Film: Types

The Shots: Holga 120

GCFN

The Shots: Holga Tim

The Shots: Actionsampler

The Shots: Fisheye 2

THECAMERAS

LOMO LC-AThe camera that started it all, the LOMO LC-A has been improved over the decades since the original. You can change the aperture setting, create easy multiple exposures, change the ISO up to 1600 and it even has a cable release thread.

Effect: vignettes; saturation; vivid colours; ‘signature 35mm lomographic look’.

LOMO

3

LOMO LC-WThis is the only wide angle compact camera in the Lomo family, with a 17mm wide lens. You can take photos in a half frame, square format or full format by using a 35mm film.

Effect: vignettes; exaggerated colours.1:4.5

MINIGON

1 17MM

LOMO

4

BELAIRThis versatile medium format camera allows you to take photographs in three different formats, has interchangeable lenses, and a wide selection of ISO ranges. You can create panoramas, multiple exposures and have automatic shutter settings.

Effect: sharp focus; wide angle images.

LOMOGRAPHY

5

HOLGAOne of the more popular lomography cameras, they range from medium format; twin lenses; stereo; pinhole and 35mm film editions.

Effects: lo-fi; soft focus; colour filiters; light leaks; vignettes.

HOLGA

OPTICAL

LENS

1:8

F=60MM

6

DIANA FA classic reproduction of the 1960s camera, the Diana F+ shoots in 120 format and has a light-weight plastic build making it easy to take anywhere. With different accessories you can have a flash, different lenses and an instant back to see your photos as soon as they happen. There are so many different variations and designs, such as the Diana Multi Pinhole Operator and the Diana F+ Glow in the Dark.

Effects: soft focus; vignette.

DIANA F+

75MM

2-4M

1-2M

4M-8

7

DIANA MINIA mini verson of the Diana F+, you can take photos in either half frames or square shots, producing interesting, whimsical images. They come in a variety of colours and designs, so there is plenty to choose from!

Effect: lo-fi; bulb setting (for long exposures); vignette.

8

FISHEYEThere are three variations of the Fisheye camera. Fisheye One lets you take photos; Fisheye 2 allows this along with the ability to do multiple and long exposures; Fisheye Baby 110 is a smaller version taking 110 film, and they all do this with a 170° distortion.

Effect: 170° distortion; strong vignette.

9

LA SARDINAThis 35mm wide angle lens camera is shaped like a sardine tin. It has a 22mm wide angle lens, and two easy focus settings. It comes in over 30 designs, and has had several limited edition specials.

Effect: Rewind knob for multiple exposures; bulb setting for long exposures.

LA

SARDINA

10

spinner 360This camera allows you to take photos with a 360° panorama, just by pulling a cord which spins it round.

Effect: 4 times longer than regular 35mm frame; visible sprockets.

.

11

SPROCKET ROCKETAs the name implies, the panoramic photos you take with a 35mm include the sprockets of the film, due to the incredibly wide lens! Lomography introduced a range of SUPERPOP! Sprocket Rockets which come in an array of vivid colours.

Effect: rewind knob for multiple exposures.

SPROCKET

ROCKET

12

LUBITELA Russian classic, this medium format camera has two lenses and are a collectible item. The top lens allows you to focus on your subject, and then the second lens captures it.

Effect: sharp and crisp images; more professional than other lomography camears.

13

LOMOKINOThis is the first Lomo analogue video camera. With it’s easy to use aperture controls and ability to focus fast you can create short movies with 144 frames on a 35mm film. There is also a hot shoe so you can also use flash with the LomoKino. The LomoKinoscope is a device to let you watch your movies once you’ve developed them.

Effect: lo-fi; can rotate crank manually for a low or high frame rate.

14

MULTI LENSLomography have a range of multi lens cameras including the ActionSampler, SuperSampler and the Pop 9. Multiple lens allow for sequential photos with different shutter speeds, to get a sense of movement.

Effect: lightweight; fixed aperture; captures motion.

15

PINHOLE Lomography have a range of pinhole cameras, from DIY cardboard cameras to Diana and Holga versions. This way you can create images without using a lens, but with just a pinhole. Light travels through the pinhole, which creates an image on the film.

Effect: soft focus; wide depth of field; long exposure time.

16

THEFILM:

format

35MMThis is the most common film you can buy, with supermarkets and shops selling them. You can use these in most cameras, and they come in either black and white or colour. They have holes on them to fit within the sprockets, and when you use them with a larger format camera, the image will reach past these edges creating an interesting effect.

19

120MMThis fits in medium format cameras like the Holga or the Belair, and because produce square images. As they are bigger than other formats, they have higher quality images, with great attention to detail.

20

110MMHaving been reintroduced in 2012 by Lomography, these are small films allowing the world to be seen in a new perspective. They work with cameras such as the Diana Mini or the Fisheye Baby.

21

InstantImagine taking a photograph in analogue, and having the physical print in your hands a few moments later. That’s the beauty of instant film, and Lomography has a variety for you to use. You can even buy a Instant Back for the Diana F+ making it even more accessable.

22

THEFILM:types

COLOUR NEGATIVEThis is the most common type of film, and can be brought and processed in C-41 chemicals at pretty much any pharmacy or photography shop. Perfect for taking everday photos, capturing exactly what you see in front of you.25

B WA great alternative to colour film if you want to go for the true analogue look, perfect for monochromatic contrasts and different tones.

ii

26

SLIDE FILMAlso a colour film, the effect of the images when developed are more saturated and vivid than regular colour negative film. Although usually developed in E6 chemicals, you can still use the C-41 chemical process to achieve surreal, random results.

27

REDSCALELomographers first started this technique by loading film backwards so that images were shot onto the semi-transparent side of the film. This created warm tones of colour, in reds, oranges and yellows. Now Lomography has created a range of redscale films where the film is already loaded backwards.

28

CROSSPROCESSINGAlso a colour film, the effect of the images when developed are more saturated and vivid than regular colour negative film. Although usually developed in E6 chemicals, you can still use the C-41 chemical process to achieve surreal, random results.

29

EXPIRED Films have an expiry date, but once they have past it, they create effects that lomographers love. The reason films have an expiry date is because once it has past, the manufacturer can’t be held responsible for any random effects which appear on the images once developed. The important thing to remember is to shoot on a sunny day, and the effects vary each time, which range from colour shifts to grainy images.

30

THESHOTS:

HOLGA 120 GCFN

COLOURSome would say that Lomography is all about the colour - the saturation and brightness is what attracts so many people to the world of lomography. This image is full of colour, and draws the viewer in due to the vibrancy.

Film: Fujicolour Professional Pro 400 H Aperture: f/11 Shutter Speed: 1/125 Focal Length: 1.83m

33

DOUBLE EXPOSURE An easy feature of the Holga is to create multiple exposures. To do this, you just simply don’t wind on the film when you’ve taken a picture. This can create interesting and unpredictable images. Film: Fujicolour Professional

Pro 400 H Aperture: f/11 Shutter Speed: 1/125 Focal Length: 0.91m

34

LONGEXPOSURETo achieve the effect of traffic moving fast, the shutter has to be open longer than normal to capture the movement. It works better in dark surroundings as too much light will overexpose the image. This was taken on a bridge where there was lots of traffic below.

Film: Lomography Redscale 100 Aperture: f/8 Shutter Speed: 6sFocal Length: 2.74m

35

VIGNETTEA common characteristic of using the Holga is vignetting on the photograph. This is the desaturation at the edges of the image, where there is limited lighting. This is usually a desired effect by Lomographers as it helps to frame the center, and can enhance the visual quality.

Film: Fujicolour Professional Pro 400 H Aperture: f/11 Shutter Speed 1/125 Focal Length: 2.74m

36

LIGHT PAINTINGTo create an image like this, you need to leave your shutter open for a few seconds, depending on lighting and what you want to create, and direct a light source (a flashlight was used here) to wherever you are aiming the camera.

Film: Lomography Redscale 100 Aperture: f/8 Shutter Speed: 5sFocal Length: 1.83m

37

redscaleThis book has talked about redscale film, and this image is a dramatic example of how it can affect your images. This could have been a boring image of a building had it been shot on colour negative or monochrome film, but the redscale makes it a lot more interesting to look at.

Film: Lomography Redscale 100 Aperture: f/11 Shutter Speed: 1/125 Focal Length: 1.83m

38

THESHOTS:

HOLGA tim

TONEWhen shooting in monochrome, looking for different hues to create a high contrast of tone can create a really effective photograph. This is because it creates depth in the image, and in this case creates a focal point of the bird feeding stand due to the viewer been drawn to the highlights.

Film: Kodak Professional BW400CN Aperture: f/11

Shutter Speed 1/100 41

MOVEMENTA slow shutter speed paired with a moving focal point can create soft-focus, dreamy images like this one here. They are two seperate frames, but give the appearance of a sequential image, similar to what the Actionsampler produces.

Film: Kodak Professional BW400CN Aperture: f/8

Shutter Speed 1/6042

doubleEXPOSUREDue to the Holga Tim making half-frames, this double exposure has created four images on a single frame, which is caused by using the MX feature and not winding on.

Film: Kodak Professional BW400CN Aperture: f/11

Shutter Speed 1/100 43

LightingWhen the sun is out it is the perfect opportunity to let it affect your images by positioning the camera so that the sun is in the corner of the frame. It is important not to focus directly on the sun as this can damage your lens.

Film: Kodak Professional BW400CN Aperture: f/22

Shutter Speed 1/10044

THESHOTS:

actionsampler

Long rangeThe Actionsampler has a fixed aperture and this can be help or hinder you. In this case it has helped, as the aperture creates a wide depth of field, allowing you to take images from a long distance without different areas appearing out of focus.

Film: Kodak Professional BW400CN Aperture: f/2.8

Shutter Speed 1s47

rule of thirdsThis technique is used to create a more interesting focal point, and is widely used in photography. Here it draws focus to the swan and sunlight hitting the sea.

Film: Kodak Professional BW400CN Aperture: f/2.8

Shutter Speed 1s48

MOVEMENTThe total exposure on the Actionsampler is one second, so each frame has an exposure time of 0.25 seconds. This makes it a good opportunity to capture a subject when they are moving fast. This image was taken when people were having a canoeing race, therefore were moving their oars, as well as the water moving so .

Film: Kodak Professional BW400CN Aperture: f/2.8

Shutter Speed 1s49

SEASONALA good time to take photographs is throughout the changes of the seasons so that you can capture different colours, weather and textures. This image worked particularly well with the Actionsampler as someone was sledging downhill quite fast, so it has captured the moments. On the Lomography site you can create a mini movie using Actionsampler images which would work well with this lomograph.

Film: Ilford HP5 Plus 400Aperture: f/2.8

Shutter Speed: 1s50

THESHOTS:

fisheye 2

analogueA big part of the Lomography lifestyle is ‘Analogue Day Activity’ whereby lomographers post analogue activities for you to do including stargazing, listening to a street musician and sending a postcard. This image represents playing a sport and being with friends as an analogue day activity.

Film: Fujifilm Superia Xtra 400 Aperture: f/8

Shutter Speed: 1/10053

BIRD’S EYETo take an image from the bird’s eye view is to shoot from above, creating an effect as though you are looking down on something. Here it works well, as it was taken in a dark room with the flash on, and the flash highlights the focal point leaving a big vignette around the centre.

Film: Kodak Professional BW400CN Aperture: f/8

Shutter Speed 1/10054

GRAINWhen choosing film, you need to consider the ISO you will need. The higher the ISO, the more noise the images will have, with lower ISO’s working better in lighter conditions. However, depending on the effect you prefer you might want a higher ISO, like here I used an ISO of 400, producing a grainy image.

Film: Fujifilm Superia Xtra 400Aperture: f/8

Shutter Speed 1/10055

VIEWPOINTShooting from the subject’s viewpoint can make an interesting photo, especially with animals as we are used to looking down at them. Taking shots from a different perspective can really alter an image as it shows something to the viewer that they might not have normally seen.

Film: Fujifilm Superia Xtra 400Aperture: f/8

Shutter Speed 1/10056