Lomography is old school photography. Bare bones photography. Photography without a safety net. More specifically, it is a community and movement concerning analogue (i.e. film) cameras.
Why use old film style cameras in this day 'n age of high resolution cameras, with their immediate feedback, plentiful options, and their data drenched digital files offering post-processing opportunities and ultimately frictionless sharing?
Well i can think of a few reasons:
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simplicity - the old analogue cameras are surprisingly simple devices to the point where some features almost do nothing - it is almost magical that they are capable of capturing images. There are no batteries or recharging to worry about, and the few mechanical components mean dropping your fantastic plastic is not the end of the world (and may even give rise to artistic effects via light leaks). Just point and click and hope for the best.
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Excitement - or uncertainty. You never know how a photo will turn out until you break open that package, especially if you have been experimenting. Often you don't even remember what you captured on your film. There is always consequently an excitement before opening that package of processed film and printed images.
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Artistry - given their imprecise nature and lack of automation, simple analogue cameras provide various artistic opportunities. This is encouraged by the lomography movement which provides advice on different photographic techniques and produces a range of add-ons in terms of flashes and different film types.
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Patience - analogue photography encourages patience and delayed gratification in an increasingly instant gratification world.
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Physicality - just like there is something substantive about reading from a book rather than a desktop computer or tablet device, there is something tangible about capturing images on a large sliver of film and ending up with physical photographs.
If you're looking to get into film camera photography, the lomography website sells a range of analogue equipment and supplies, and provides a range of resources in relation to analogue photography and the lomography movement.
