Lomography Trend / Digital Lomography

A bright red sign posted in the window of a local Indie music store advertises a dead photography trend - or at least it was dead.

Lomography, a type of cheap photography that developed in the 1960's is becoming more and more popular among young artists. What makes lomography fun is that the colors are often wildly saturated and unexpected in hue. The photos are also extremely sharp, often grainy, and usually have a strong vignette around the edges.

Lomo cameras are light, made of plastic, and feel like toys. When they were first created, they were sold for mere pennies, but they caught on because of the interesting colors they produced. Then, as instant and disposable photography got better, the lomography cameras gradually got phased out. But apparently they were not entirely forgotten, because now the Lomo is back. Although now, the camera isn't sold so cheaply. On average, one costs between $60 and $200 depending on the brand, the make, and the product quality. And the film costs about $5 a roll, plus $10 for developing. It's a pretty expensive "cheap" photography.

Fortunately, there's an alternative: digital lomography.
This online tutorial is great and easy to follow, and the images it produces really look like they were taken by a film Lomo.


I suspect that as the old photo / lomography trend will only grow in popularity, but that as the economy dwindles, more and more people will start switching to digital lomography. Not everyone is going to be able to afford to buy Lomo film (120mm instead of the normal 35mm), so they will switch to the free kind.