Karan Chadda

Digital experience, marketing analytics, and AI

Lomo – uncut

I’ve written a fair bit about light recently. It’s been fun learning more about what’s possible just by adjusting some settings or taking a snap from a different angle. Then I printed out some photos and it struck me that there was some fun to be had working with film. Since I’m not able to develop images from film myself, I would literally get what I take, no adjustments, no cropping, no quick fixes. Then I thought, if I’m going to lose some control over the end result, I might as well lose some more. So I decided to give Lomography a try.

Now, I’m aware that Lomography is a bit divisive – is it really photography or is it hipster-ism gone mad? Well, I think it’s really photography. Some of the marketing blurb is a bit far-fetched but ultimately you’ve got a camera, you know its limitations and its strengths, and you take the best snaps you can. I got a Diana F+, bought some 120 film, then started snapping away.

Below is my first attempt at capturing some of the Lomo fun. I could have cropped and re-sized the images. I could have adjusted the contrast. That’s not the point though. It’s not about capturing a perfect moment, or even about capturing a real moment, it’s about enjoying moments and having fun taking snaps.

A note of caution

If you decide to try out Lomo, there are a few things that it’s useful to be aware of:

– If you get a camera that takes 120 film, it’s hard to source somewhere that will develop it, and it won’t be cheap. Two rolls cost me £36 from Snappy Snaps in Kingston. They’re a very friendly bunch in there, but it’s the price of a decent SD card for 20-odd snaps and a CD. Processing 35mm film is much easier and cheaper.

– Light will leak in, sometimes the spool won’t wind properly, you’ll forget to remove the lens cap (repeatedly) and you’ll feel a bit of a wally walking around with a plastic camera with an over-sized flash.

– Storing film in your fridge makes you feel unbelievably cool.

– Nothing will prepare you for the excitement of waiting to view snaps that you took a week ago. It can be unbearable.

Light doesn’t travel in straight lines

I popped over to a party by Brick Lane this evening. The warren of streets between Spitalfields and Brick Lane is wonderful. Cleaned up, brick built, tightly packed little buildings crammed into small, dimly lit lanes. It can uniquely be described as gentrified Dickensian.

The scene made a wonderful setting for an experiment with light. It wasn’t a very successful experiment. Partly because I had limited time and partly because I’m not the most gifted snapper. The only photo I am able to share is below. The building should be in sharper focus, but it is not far off. The light waves brilliantly. The photo is unedited.

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Glowing in the mist

When confronted by icy cold temperatures and thick fog, most people would turn their collars up and head home as soon as possible. I decided it was a good moment to stop and take a snap or two.

I’ve been really concentrating on light recently and the warm glow of the street lights cutting through the mist really inspired me.

Of this set, I think my favourite image is the one where the lights cuts diagonally across the image. I’ve dubbed it ‘Sliced by light’. It’s the featured image in the gallery below.

 

As an aside, if anyone has feedback on the gallery style I’ve used for this post, I’d love to hear it. Please do comment or drop me a note on twitter.

From Instagram to Printstagram

I love printed photos. There’s something about holding a photo, framing it and putting it up on a wall that is satisfying. It provides a different experience to viewing a picture on a screen.

Above all, a printed photo is final. There’s no more editing, retouching or cropping to be done. You have what you have.

I also love Instagram. I love its simplicity, its beautiful filters and its square proportions that force you to crop images and think about layout.

Some of the images I’ve created using my iPhone and Instagram are priceless to me. They’re memories that only exist electronically and I’ve longed to print and frame them. Well, thanks to Metro Print, I can.

The geniuses there have played and tested and have developed a wonderful Instagram printing service that I’ve clunkily dubbed Printstagram.

They take your beautiful Instagram images and print them in lovely 5×5 squares. I collected my first order today and the results are brilliant.

http://instagram.com/p/SkuHXHS7U6/

If, like me, you love printed photos and Instagram, I think you’ll love this Metro Print service.

*as an aside, this post has been typed on my iPhone using the WordPress app. Like Instagram it’s a real testament to how much we can now do using our phones.