I saw this mermaid today
I waved and said, “hey”
but much to my dismay
this fishy girl wouldn’t play
she flashed a smirk, and just swam away
I saw this mermaid today
I waved and said, “hey”
but much to my dismay
this fishy girl wouldn’t play
she flashed a smirk, and just swam away
I was headed to the kitchen this morning when I saw a red glow shining through the windows. I grabbed my point and shoot camera and headed outside hoping I was quick enough to capture the red hue before it went away.
Light changes quickly so I only managed to get one decent picture. It was a tad bit redder when I first saw it, but that’s still pretty red. I wonder what kind of particles were in the atmosphere to cause that color.
For this picture I activated my “toy camera” setting and it gave me the option of choosing a warm, neutral, or cool tint . . . I went with warm. The warm glow in the sky was pretty much gone by this point, but maybe that filter helped some. I positioned my camera at my hip and snapped the picture.
I like how it turned out. I like all the vertical lines created by the trees in the background, and the variety of diagonal lines created by the yucca plants and that stick in the foreground.
So, is it LOMO? I followed rules 1-3 that are specific to all photography, and I wont list them. Rules 8-10 also didn’t really apply cuz I didn’t worry about what I shot which means I obeyed them. I am focusing on the Golden Rules though, so I guess I broke Rule 10 a bit. Aside from them, I’ll focus on the following Golden Rules of Lomography:
4. Yes, I tried the shot from the hip. The composition turned out pretty interesting.
5. Approach the subject as close as possible. The sharp pointy ends of the yucca got me so I definitely obeyed this rule.
6. Don’t think. Done.
7. Be fast. And done.
My coffee was ready for me when I was done shooting. I love the feeling of productivity and creativity before I even get coffee into my system. Makes the coffee that much more enjoyable.
I knew a photographer who loved shooting on her Holga toy camera. At the time, I wasn’t crazy about the idea of a toy camera, but her pictures always turned out really cool. A few years ago I purchased an Action Sampler.
Action Sampler, photo from lomography.com
It takes four pictures per exposure. I carried it around for a while and shot pictures obeying The Ten Golden Rules, and the promises that are specific to the Action Sampler. I still need to finish my rolls of film and get them developed. Until that happens I have a burning desire to take the kind of low fidelity pictures you get with toy cameras.
A lot of my digital photos remind me of the pictures that you get from toy cameras. So, I’d like to work on an on – going series of pictures inspired by the LOMO – style. Both in camera and in post processing. With my DSLR and with my point and shoot. Any way that I can achieve the style is acceptable, with the goal of staying as close to true Lomography as possible. So, Let’s take a look at the 10 Golden rules.
1. Take your camera everywhere you go.
2. Use it anytime, Day and Night.
3. Lomography is not an interference in your life, but a part of your life.
4. Try to shoot from the hip.
5. Approach the objects of your Lomographic desire as closely as possible.
6. Don’t think. (William Firebrace)
7. Be Fast.
8. You don’t have to know beforehand what you’ve captured on film.
9. And you don’t necessarily have to know afterwards either.
10. Don’t worry about any rules.
Since rule 10 says not to worry about rules, then I have the right and the responsibility to break the rules. Which means that shooting an analogue style of photography with a digital camera is a big rule breaker. I think that as long as I try to stick with the original idea of Lomography, which is basically experimental and creative, then I’ll be ok.
Before – Through the Windshield
This picture reminds me of Lomography. I took it through the windshield of a car and I didn’t do anything to it. It’s straight from the camera. In the photo below, I adjusted the exposure and color temperature in Lightroom using the “auto” feature.
After – Through the Windshield
I like them both and I think they qualify as LOMO – inspired Digital photos.
Have you ever shot on a toy camera, or have you ever made your own pinhole camera? Do you think that an inherently analogue style of photography can be created digitally and be taken seriously? I guess we will soon find out . . .