I have a love/hate relationship with film cameras. Don’t get me wrong; in terms of the battle between old school and high tech, I belong to TeamFilm. I am, in fact, weary of the digital camera. It’s too convenient. I know, in fact, that it’s a mortal sin to look ugly in a digital photo. It should not happen. And yet when it really counts, I choose to use my SLR, and torture myself with questions while waiting for the film to get developed. Did I get the exposures right? Were my subjects against the sun, completely forgetting that the sun did exist? Are the people Royal-Tru-Orange orange or Papaya-soap white? Did I waste yet another Kodak film? The answers are usually no, yes or yes, and a scolding yes, respectively. But I keep on trying, especially since I cannot be bothered with Photoshop, unless may project sa school… hah… asa.

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Lomo! Lomo Kayo Diyan!
Lomography in the Philippines

Until a few months ago Lomography to this writer had been an alien word. So alien, that when a colleague brought a Colosplash to work one day, I said to myself, “How old-fashioned and outdated. Film cameras are so last season…” So kill me, why don’t you.

That day was followed by an invitation to be part of a new Lomography forum, SouthernLomo, my “old-fashioned” co-worker is launching. I said to myself, “Ok let me give this a try.” Of course to be able to post and contribute with meaning to the forum I had to know stuff about Lomography or film photography at least. So I started my research, browsing countless of websites about this form of photography.

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Southernlomo’s 1st event. We will join LomoManila’s LomoMarket Launch. Click here for details.

We’ll be launching the community as well so please sign up. A booth for Southernlomo.org will be available. Hope to see you there!

Watch our southernlomo bands perform - The Midnight Show and The Betterfiller

1. Take your camera everywhere you go.
2. Use it anytime, day and night.
3. Lomography is not an interference in your life, but part of it.
4. Try the shot 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 captured on film.
9. Afterwards, either.
10. Don’t worry about any rules.

Lomography is the commercial trademark of Lomographische AG, Austria for products and services related to photography. The name is inspired by the former state-run optics manufacturer LOMO PLC of St. Petersburg, Russia. LOMO PLC created and produced the 35 mm LOMO LC-A Compact Automat camera - which became the centerpiece of Lomography’s marketing and sales activities. This camera was loosely based upon the Cosina CX-1 and introduced in the early 1980s.

In 1991, the Austrian founders of Lomography discovered the Lomo LC-A[citation needed]. As the company states, they were “charmed by the unique, colorful, and sometimes blurry” images that the camera produced. After a series of international art exhibitions and aggressive marketing work, Lomography signed an exclusive distribution agreement with LOMO PLC - thereby becoming the sole distributor of all Lomo LC-A cameras outside of the Soviet Union. This monopolistic agreement, their viral/tribal marketing strategies and pricing philosophy have generated controversy.

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