In the fast-paced digital age we live in, sometimes we could use a little more old-fashioned influences. Forget about Instagram for a while, and pick up an analogue camera. That’s what Melbourne photographer Mel Dixon did. Her curiosity in Lomography gave her a chance to explore photography and resulted in her connecting with some of the country’s best ‘Lomographers’ to form an exhibition entitled, “Vignetting Victoria” – a tribute to the urban and rural landscape of Victoria and Lomography. ACCLAIM spoke to Mel about the first time she picked up a ‘Lomo’ camera, her take on digital vs. analogue and the upcoming Melbourne exhibition.
Tell us about your interest in Lomography. How did it start?
I first became interested in Lomography while backpacking around Europe in 2009. I was living in London for a couple of years and was still writing and preforming poetry, and then I suddenly became more and more interested in visual art & photography. I felt that Lomography offered me an authentic, creative outlet that I had yearned for. I bought my first Lomography camera in London and never looked back. Since then, I’ve become more involved in photography and gave up writing and performing poetry completely.
For those who do not know much about Lomography, what is it all about?
Lomography is a worldwide art movement based around the use of lo-fi analogue plastic or Russian modeled cameras. The essence of Lomography is “don’t think, just shoot!”. Letting go of inhibitions and enjoying the process of photography as much as you enjoy the finished results. We encourage the use of expired film, cross-processed film (developing film in the wrong chemicals), light leaks and anything else that will make your photos appear beautifully flawed.
What is your most used ‘Lomo’ camera?
I use my Lomo LC-A most often, but I am also using my recently acquired LC-Wide an awful lot at the moment.
Lomography and analogue photography are going through a bit of a renaissance at the moment. Why do you think this is the case?
I think that the analogue movement offers people something more authentic and creative beyond the digital age we live in. Also, much of this comes from a yearning for knowledge, with more people re-discovering cameras that their parents or grandparents once owned; it encourages an interest for things of the past. The fact that you only have 36 exposures on a film (at most), it encourages you to think more about each one of those frames. It encourages artful Zen & thoughtfulness.
What makes Lomography different from taking photos from a standard analogue camera?
Lomography is less about what camera you use and more about how you use your camera. It’s about chance, capturing the moment & about how the resulting photos make you feel.
What’s your stance on digital photography?
I am by no means anti-digital photography. I have an iPhone and I occasionally use Instagram. It’s just that I prefer to use film cameras. The camera is simply a tool, which we use to capture the moment. You don’t hear painters argue about what brushes they use; the same goes for photography for me. Digital and film cameras can create bad photographs, it’s the photographer who makes the difference. Whichever you use, strive to do it well & enjoy the experience.
Do you think that photography apps, particularly Instagram, have made an impact on the quantity of Lomography users?
Oh for sure! I think that Instagram and the rise of mobile photography definitely had a knock on effect on Lomography. The effects and filters that you find in these apps has brought back memories for many of us – back to the days when there was only film to capture the moment. I remember thumbing my way through stacks of round edged family photos when I was a child; I guess Instagram is similar to this.
A comment I’d like to make about social media photography is that we really do need to think about what we share and why we are sharing it. Just because the photos on Instagram are available to look at, does that automatically make them worth seeing? Again, to me it’s not about what camera you use to capture the image; it’s more about the photograph itself.
Lomography is often associated with ‘hipster’ culture—what sort of person is into Lomography?
There’s no one type of person who is into Lomography, but it is becoming popular amongst those in the ‘hipster’ culture. For me, Lomography in the beginning was about experimentation, so I really do believe that most people who are interested in Lomography tend to be looking for something more gratifying and interesting than much of the digital technology that’s around today.
Tell us about the exhibition—why did you want to put this exhibition on?
Having fallen in love with Lomography while in Europe, when I arrived back in Australia I realized that we were a little behind the curve ball on the local Lomography scene. So I really wanted to get to know others who use Lomography and film photography, so I joined the local Melbourne Silver Mine photography collective and approached Lomography Australia/NZ about helping to run more Lomography events in Melbourne. The main aim of the exhibition is to celebrate Victorian Lomographers and to help establish a sense of community in Melbourne that we can build on.
How did you get in contact with some of the other artists included in this exhibition?
Lomography Australia/New Zealand put a call out for submissions Australia-wide.
Will this end up as a travelling exhibition around the country?
Not at this stage, but Lomography Australia/NZ are always looking for people to help running events on a local level.
What outcome or reaction do you expect from this exhibition?
My hope for the exhibition is that it sparks an interest in the people who view it; to let them know that film photography is going strong. I would also love those who use ‘Lomo’ cameras to come forward and help us create a strong Lomography community here in Melbourne, so we can embrace the future in analogue together.
For anyone wanting to take up Lomography, what advice can you give them?
Take off the lens cap, put it in a safe place and never touch it again! The biggest beginners’ mistake is not taking the lens cap off and shooting an entire roll of blank frames. Secondly, start with one camera and get to know that camera really well, learn about exposure and composition through that camera, then if you want to try other cameras you will get the most out of them.
Lomography Exhibition: Vignetting Victoria
11th – 23rd September 2012
Opens Tuesday, 11th September, 6pm-8pm and runs until 23rd September.
No Vacancy Project Space
The Atrium, Federation Square
Melbourne
For more information, visit the Lomography AU website, Lomography AU/NZ Facebook page and Mel Dixon’s website.