I wandered into Metro during the my lunchtime today to buy some 400iso, 120mm Fujicolour Roll Film for my fantastically retro
Holga camera.
This week sees London hosting the Congress for the International
Lomography society with a nice week of events, courses for horses and the
Lomo Wall project over in Trafalgar Sq.
This made me think. 10 years ago, when I was shooting with my little inherited
instamatic camera; I was always striving for the best results. I wanted to learn about photography; grow up and afford some serious photographer's kit. I work in a Digital Agency, and it's all about having the right tools for the job; tools that make my holiday snaps look like this if I want them to:
This is something that I would have creamed my pants to have taken 10 years ago, I would have framed it and put it on the wall saying it was the best picture I'd taken.
That was 10 years ago, now I'd rather frame the happy mistakes; the Lomo Prints that I've made of abstract light patterns, or a burnt through negative which destroyed what was once a potential photo when the back of my lo-fi camera fell open because I haven't used enough gaffer tape to keep the thing shut tight. A photo like this little lomo:
The Philosophy - of the lomographer is one which I subscribe to. Phrases such as, "Shoot from the hip", "Don't think, Shoot", "Just take the picture and worry about the framing afterwards", "Lucky shot"... etc. This serendipity, the importance of the unknown in the picture equation - these things to me suddenly make a happy accident into a work of frame able art or design.
Maybe this says a lot about me, maybe it dosen't; who can tell and does it really matter? But now I've got two new 120roll films, and there's a week of things about town to shoot in my lunch hours.
Labels: lomography, photography, Retro
