I'm A Lomosexual: January 2009

1.13.2009

There, I said it: I'm a Lomosexual.

I knew after my first time. The illicit rush of that beautiful "accident," mysteriously sweet and so one-of-a-kind. The blurring of the line just felt so right. The freedom to over-expose among those in the club, and the pride I discovered in a rainbow of colors. No need to spy or be spied on as history once had it. Just embrace my difference and invent my own "picture perfect".

A brief history of Lomography

In 1982, two USSR military officers discovered a quirky little Japanese camera with an exceptionally sharp lens and extremely high light sensitivity. Immediately, they ordered the design to be replicated and mass produced so that every member of the Party could carry a Lomo Kompakt-AutoMat of their own. Throughout the 80's, Socialist spys in Vietnam, Cuba and East Berlin snapped away--capturing the final throws of the Communist movement (and the occasional beach vacation!).

By the time the 90's rolled around, the heyday of the Lomo camera had come and gone. Or so it seemed... In 1991, while basking in the glory of the new Czech Replublic, some Viennese students happened upon some dusty LC-A's in a vintage camera shop. They bought a couple, and it wasn't long before they discovered the dazzling beauty their cameras could produce. Taken on standard 35mm film and developed in the local supermarket, the photos boasted mysterious, garish lighting; off-the-wall color effects; and strangely twisted focus. Word spread fast, and in the blink of a shutter the Lomo cam became more coveted than ever before.

The Lomographic Society was founded in Vienna in 1993, and held its first international exhibition in 1994 in New York and Moscow simultaneously. In 1997, Lomography.com was born, allowing the community of Lomographers around the globe to interact as they never had. Today this network has over 500,000 international members, and a WorldArchive of more than 32,000 images that embody the basic Lomographic ethos: "Powerful. Intense. Crazy. Tremendous. Unique. Raw. Exciting. Sexy."

I'm A Lomosexual

1.26.2009

With flying colors

Just as the twig is bent, the tree's inclined

Gilding the lily

Can't see the forest for the trees

1.20.2009

A baptism of fire in bandit territory

Away with the fairies

No sitting on the fence

1.13.2009

There, I said it: I'm a Lomosexual.

A brief history of Lomography

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