Lomography

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According to Wikipedia, Lomography defines a community of photographers who advocate creative and experimental film photography. The name is inspired by the former state-run optics manufacturer Lomo Plc of St Petersburg, that creator and producer of the 35 mm Lomo LC-A Compact Automat camera, now the centrepiece of the lomographic movement. This November the Lomographic Society International celebrated its twentieth anniversary. The LC-A+ camera was re-released as a special edition and the online magazine section ran articles about some of the best lomographic shots of the last twenty years.

Most lomographic cameras are designed to produce photographic effects such as over-saturated colors, extreme optical distortions, rainbow-coloured subjects, unusual exposure, blurring and alternative film processing, all things normally considered bad practice in photography. For example, the lomography fisheye camera I own features a built-in wide angle lens, and shoots fish-eye-distorted images.

The philosophy behind lomography is summarised in its motto ‘Don’t think, just shoot’. This motto is accompanied by ten golden rules which are supposed to encourage spontaneity, odd angles, and taking photos anywhere, while minimising considerations of formal technique. Typical lomography cameras are deliberately low-tech and simple to operate. Some cameras make use of multiple lenses and rainbow-coloured flashes, or exhibit extreme optical distortions and even light leaks.

I’ve found it difficult to get the hang of operating my lomo fish-eye camera, but I’m determined to persevere and make the most of its creative opportunities. I’m going to be more adventurous and make occasional use of it for giving a different slant to may wedding photography next year.

Image of the month 1

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This is one of my favourite images from a family wedding last August. We have two pairs of people waiting outside after the ceremony while others are taking photographs and talking. One pair are closely watrching something happening away to the right, the other pair are both looking down: the composition works well by emphasising this difference. In fact the groom, on the far right, and the other guest are examining the groom’s shoes. This picture works because I’ve manage to be quite unobtrusive. Finally, I’ve converted this image to black and white as otherwise some of the colours would have distracted from the essence of what the picture conveys.

A wedding photography workshop

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In November I took part in a two day workshop on wedding photography run by Steve Gerrard (www.stevegerrardphotography.com) at his studio in Birningham’s Custard Factory. So it was back to Birmingham again and a trip to the Digbeth area with its trendy galleries, railway arches, arty graffiti and £3 car washes. The scene of occasional trips to drink rough cider at a shilling a pint in my student days.

I joined eight others looking to break into wedding photography or gain some fresh insights to apply to their existing businesses, so between us we had a wide range of experience. True to his pre-course notes, Steve gave us a thorough grounding in how he goes about his art, what equipment he carries, some other photographers who inspire him, and much more besides, and above all he made it fun for all of us. Tthe sandwiches and cakes were pretty good too. As darkness fell at the end of the first day we went out into the surrounding streets or a session of painting with light.

On the second day we were joined by Steve’s friends Anna and Simon, (www.annaclarkephotography.com) who had agreed to pose as bride and groom so Steve could demonstrate his approach to a bride and groom shoot and give us the chance to take what shots we could ourselves (in my case, far too many). Much credit to Anna and Simon for braving the icy cold winds for more than two hours. We visited some half dozen locations close by the Custard Factory – plenty of gritty urban backdrops . Then back to the studio to get warm, have some lunch and look at a selection of Steve’s own images from the shoot and watch him demonstrate his post-production workflow. There was just time at the end for him to show us techniques for outdoor portraits using available light.

All in all, a most instructive couple of days in the company of a great bunch of people. Here are some of my favourite shots from the second day.- a laid back bride and groom with attitude.