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Sunday
10 Golden Rules of Lomography
- Take your camera everywhere you go.
- Use it any time – day and night.
- Lomography is not an interference in your life, but part of it.
- Try the shot from the hip.
- Approach the objects of your Lomographic desire as close as possible.
- Don’t think. (William Firebrace)
- Be fast.
- You don’t have to know beforehand what you captured on film.
- Afterwards either.
- Don’t worry about any rules.
Tuesday
Getting started?
New to Lomography? Become a member to experience Lomography at its fullest – for FREE! Registered members have all these options open to them:
- Unlimited photo storage
- Your very own LomoHome account, where you can organise your photos and share them with other Lomographers
- Special offers and web-only exclusives on Lomographic products
- Join contests and win Piggy Points and Lomography stuff! (One Piggy Point voucher is worth 1 EUR/USD for you to spend in the online shop)
- The ability to post your own comments, reviews, stories and tips.
- Make contact with thousands of photography-loving people from around the world!
Need some tools to get you started? Check out the shop for the complete Lomographic line-up. The LC-A+ camera is a good choice to jumpstart your Lomography experience! Shoot dreamy images with the Diana+, experience love from waist level with the Lubitel+ and colour your world with our growing selection of Lomography film!
Expect exciting things happening in the community because they always have something new to offer. Best of all, you’ll meet like-minded Lomographers to share the analogue love with – the friendly community is constantly active with projects, collaborations, and contests.
Monday
HISTORY ~timeline on lomography~
+// THE STORY ::..
•
[1982] : Birth of the Lomo Kompakt]
1982
Birth of the LOMO LC-A - the camera that started it all!
General Igor Petrowitsch Kornitzky, right-hand man to the USSR Minister of Defense and Industry, slammed a little Japanese compact camera onto the desk of his comrade Michail Panfilowitsch Panfiloff, the Director of the powerful LOMO Russian Arms and Optical factory. Panfiloff carefully examined the item, observing its sharp glass lens, extremely high light sensitivity and robust casing. R
ealizing its potential, the two gentlemen gave orders to the LOMO PLC factory in St.
Petersburg, Russia to create an improved version of the
Cosina CX-1 – and the first working sample of the LOMO LC-A was born!
1984
Launch of the LC-A
The LOMO LC-A b
egan mass-production this year, with 1200 people working on the camera. Starting at 1100 units per month for the Russian market, its popularity soonspread to then –Communist
countries such as Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Cuba.
[1991] : Discovery .
While touring Prague, a group of Viennese students stumbled upon the LOMO LC-A in a quirky, old-school ca
mera shop, and started shooting from the hip. Upon returning to Vienna, they had their film rolls developed, resulting in strangely beautiful images. Soon the
questions started coming from friends, family and strangers, they wanted their own LC-A cameras!
•[1992-93] : The Lomographic Society .
The birth of the Lomographic Society International
Astounded by the strangely beautiful photographs that the LOMO LC-A could create, the demand for this Russian gem quickly rose, which led to the
formation of the Lomographic Society International (LSI).
Along with the 10 Golden Rules, the non-profit movement aimed to spread the message of Lomography throughout the world by hosting exhibitions, parties, tours, and workshops.
[1994-95] : Spread the Word .
Lomo goes online, NYC vs Moscow exhibition, first embassy in Berlin
Lomo invades the world wide web at this time (www.lomo.com). It was also
this year when the very first Lomographic exhibition was simultaneously held in New York City and Moscow, with massive LomoWalls gracing each city, showcasing colourful
Lomographs from the other; months later, the first Lomo Embassy was established in Berlin.
[1996] : Provide for the Future .
With the LC-A’s popularity rise comes the biggest challenge – the Russian manufacturers decided to stop its production. Our “Wieners” bravely scooted to the LOMO Optic
s factory in Russia and successfully
convinced the factory honchos and then-Vice Mayor Mr. Vladimir Putin to continue with the LC-A production!
•[1997] : Lomography Online & The World
Congress .
First World Congress in Madrid
Relaunching lomo.com as lomography.com, the new website introduces a product shop, community interaction, special projects, activities and services, plus the WorldArchive – displaying a collection of amazing Lomographs from different places. The first Lomographic World Congress in Madrid boasted a LomoWall of over 120 metres - consisting of over 35,000 Lomographs!
•[1998-99] : Photo-Photo-Photo-Photo .
Photokina
The Lomographic Society International launches the 4-lensed Actionsampler at the Photokina – the largest photography convention in the world. The strange-looking plastic camera takes four sequential images in one 35mm Lomograph and was an instant hit!
[2000] : God Save the Queen & LomOlymPics
First in-house camera, the Supersampler, community functions launched
Designed, manufactured, and patented by Lomography, the Supersampler emerges as the “Queen of all Multi-lens Cameras” – taking four panoramic panels of sequential images in one photograph. At lomography.com, new community functions were launched, one of which was the LomoHomes – a space for users to store all their photos and make their own LomoWalls, at the time, probably the most modern web site where you could host photos!
•[2000-01] : Publication .
First Lomography shop in Vienna
The very first Lomography shop in the world graced the Kunsthalle (Contemporary Art Hall) in the Vienna MuseumsQuartier in the summer of this year, featuring walls decked with Lomographs (LomoWalls), a wide range of innovative products from all over the world and the full line of Lomographic items. It also hosted workshops and other activities that cater to Lomography.
[2001] : Shopping fantasies & Fashion
Dreams .
[2002] : The Pop 9 & "Just Shoot" .
2003
First Sidekick TPE bag - Lomography fashion makes its entrance
In addition to photographic products, Lomography introduces the first Sidekick TPE bag – designed to hold cameras, films, and even a small laptop. This jumpstarts the Lomography line of fashion items – t-shirts, bags, camera bags, and accessories have since been added to the fashion segment.
2004
World Congress in China, biggest ever LomoWall!
The biggest LomoWall to date was installed during the World Congress in China. For one whole week, Beijing was bursting with shiny Lomographs and exciting activities!
2005
The Fisheye camera
Lomography introduces a breakthrough in photography with the world’s first compact Fisheye camera – the Fisheye. Yielding nearly 180-degrees of circular Fisheye distortion in a 35mm photograph, it offered the easiest and most convenient way to try Fisheye!
2006
LC-A+
Lomography introduces the LC-A+ - a faithful reproduction of the Russian LC-A camera. Manufactured in China with an option to get the lens from Russia, it offered the same endearing qualities as the original – sharp contrast, deep saturation, and the trademark vignetting - while adding more exciting features such as a multiple-exposure switch and the option to use exclusively-for-LC-A+ accessories!
2007
Diana+, Hong Kong, Seoul and Paris Gallery Store openings, White Stripes collaboration and World Congress, London.
A faithful reproduction of the’60s medium-format classic Diana camera was introduced by the LSI – the Diana+, enhanced with features to promote more creative options. The year 2007 also saw the opening of Lomography Gallery Stores in Hong Kong, Paris, and Seoul, the World Congress in London, and Lomography’s collaboration with the White Stripes for the limited edition “Jack” Holga and “Meg” Diana+ cameras.
2008
Lubitel+ launch, “The Future is Analogue” exhibition at the Photokina, Cologne, Redscale film, Lomo X-Pro film & the LC-A Big Book.
Lomography strikes again with another exciting reproduction, the Lubitel+, our pimped-up version of the twin-lensed classic Lubitel camera. The year 2008 was a busy one as Lomography proudly declared that “The Future is Analogue” at the Photokina convention in Cologne, Germany, with a massive LomoWall covering both the walls and the floor – making it THE attraction to see. A survey was conducted prior to the event, evaluating the future of Lomography based on thoughts and opinions by the community, and gathering ideas and preferences, digital vs analogue-style. The massive LC-A book, which documented the entire story of the LC-A, accompanied by a compilation of the best Lomographs from around the world, was also launched at the convention. Two photographic techniques – cross processing and redscaling – were made easier to create with the introduction of the first Lomography films - the Lomography X-Pro film, and the Lomography Redscale film.
2009
New site launch , NYC Gallery Store, Diana Instant Back+, Colette, the year so far
The lomography.com website was given a complete relaunch, with a fresh new look and more sections for community interaction, contests, articles, and other crucial info related to Lomography and analogue photography – closing the gap between digital and analogue. This year also saw the opening of the Lomography shop in New York City! The Diana+ also reigned supreme with the unique collaboration between Lomography and Paris-based boutique colette for the "Dianalogues: Through A Woman’s Lens" Book & special edition camera. Plus the Diana Instant Back+ was launched, an accessory that turns the Diana+ camera into an instant camera!
Lomo Onto Tomorrow .
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Sunday
What the hell is Lomography?
The whole Lomographic phenomenon started in the streets of St. Petersburg, Russia on 1982. At that time, theUSSR Minister of Defense and Industry and his comrade, the Director of the LOMO Russian Arms and Optical Factory, examined a Japanese camera with a sharp glass lens, extremely high light sensitivity and robust casing. Upon realizing the potential of this mini-camera, they gave immediate orders to copy and improve the design with the ultimate goal of producing the largest quantity possible for the pleasure and glory of the Soviet population. It was decided – every respectable Communist should have a LOMO KOMPAKT AUTOMAT of their own. With that, theLOMO LC-A was born!
Almost a decade after and with the LOMO LC-A’s popularity waning, a handful of Austrian students came across this adorable camera in some old-school camera shops, bought a couple for fun, loaded them with film, shot from above and through their legs, shot from the hip, and even sometimes looking through the viewfinder.
After having the film developed at the trusty corner supermarket, they were surprised by the results: Thousands of small, amusing, sad, garish shots of their little tour, wonderful focused and unfocussed images fresh from life in the Czech Republic. The images were amazing, dazzling all those present with a crushing sense of excitement – the likes of which they had never felt before.
What happens next is quickly enough told. After seeing the incredible photographs; friends, relatives, and strangers on the streets all demanded LOMO cameras of their own! The Lomographic Society (Lomographische Gesellschaft) was soon founded in Vienna, with the aim of spreading the message of LOMOGRAPHY throughout the globe.
Pictures are what Lomography is all about. Nothing compares to the feeling of visually diving into a pool of shining, new, sweet-smelling lomographs. My pictures, your pictures, pictures of the world, pictures of fleeting moments, secret passions, boring, brou-ha, left toes, blurred nothings. Simply everything. Lomography collects, treasures and presents all of this.
Create your own LomoHome, search your dusty archives, and spam us with your pictures! Show the world your masterpieces, your lucky accidents, your weird photomoods and your most intense personal Lomographic views. Lomography.com is now fully ready and technically capable to swallow and digest all of your analogue pictures.
So, let the feast begin, and never forget: You are Lomography.
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