Lomography

For some reason, I have always found the idea of using cameras with serious technical limitations a little bit silly. Why would one buy a Holga with a plastic lens and some light leaks when you can have a vintage Canon or Nikon for the same price, with none of the defects?

At the same time, and with some guilt, I have been playing with an Lomography app on my phone. The app is called Lomogram, and is one of several that let you apply “old photo” effects to pictures taken with the phone (or other pictures, if you get them on to your phone). I am not sure where the guilt comes from; maybe from the fact that I am creating fakes? Maybe from the fact that the fakes are sentimental and nostalgic? Is the cheesy film markings that one can use as borders? I am sure much could be learned from analyzing this feeling.

Either way, there is no denying that I really like the output. I have even become a regular Facebook user so that I can share my pictures. The reason I like them is that they are surprisingly good, and that is not because I make them, but because the app uses sound composition devices. You can apply rounded corners and vignetting, which help to keep the viewer inside the picture frame. You can apply simple white or black frames, which also help to do the same. And you can alter the colors. Not every color effect works on every picture, but some make the picture nearly monochromatic, which lends it unity.

I have posted an album of these altered phone pictures here. Tell me what you think

Graflex View Camera

Phone Photo

August 2012