In praise of the Lomo: Design and win
We’ve all seen the bug-eyed Lomo camera in musem gift shops, but few folks know the history behind this wonderful little gadget. The first Lomo was produced in the Soviet Union in 1982 and used throughout many communist countries. The camera’s popularity soon faded, but a decade later, a group of Austrian students bought a couple Lomos and used them to photograph their travels. When they returned home, their friends and family fell in love with the pictures the Lomo took. As demand grew, the cameras were frequently sneaked out of the the Eastern Bloc and the Lomographic Society was founded in Vienna. So when the Society got wind that the Lomo factory in St. Petersburg was about to close, they convinced Vladimir Putin (then the vice-mayor of St. Petersburg) to resume production on this beloved little camera.
Fast forward to today. Threadless, the design-by-democracy T-shirt site, is holding a Threadless Loves Lomography contest. To enter, simply submit a T-shirt design that relates to the 10 Golden Rules of Lomography (e.g. Take your camera everywhere you go) by Saturday, July 5th. The winner will receive $2,000 and an original Lomo camera (the LC-A), plus a handful of flashes, lenses, and film. Eighty designs have already been submitted, so get going and add yours to mix!
Still wondering what’s so great about Lomo photography? Take a look at any of the 5,844 Lomo pools on flickr and see for yourself!
