The Long Haul Through 2011

2011 was a pretty big year for us, and we probably shot more with our lomo cameras than in any other year, not least because the year started with the acquisition of the Sprocket Rocket and a bunch of new Diana lenses.

It’s hard to look back on an entire year and pick out your favorite images, so we gave ourselves the challenge of picking out our favorite shots that include one or both of us, and then trying to figure out what we were thinking when each one was taken.

Number 1 is a Smena shot of Melissa and our good friend Charity. It was taken in San Francisco on the first leg of our awesome April California trip – easily the best trip we took in 2011. I think Charity is annoyed at being photographed, but is hiding it well, whereas Melissa is reveling in being photographed… but hiding it well.

Number 2 is from a few days later at the Clos Pegase winery in the Napa valley. Melissa is almost certainly torn between wanting to capture the beautiful surroundings (the owner is a fine art collector and the grounds are full of amazing pieces) and getting inside to taste their amazing Cabernet Sauvignon. We discovered Clos Pegase the first time we went to Napa and this was a much anticipated return.

Number 3 is a Sprocket Rocket, also from that same epic trip, although by this stage we’d made it to the awesome Shelter Hotel in LA, whose graphic motif you can see behind me. As a film guy I was thrilled to finally have made it to LA and probably pretty excited to get out and start exploring.

Number 4 is somewhat of a rarity in our collection: a shot of us taken by someone else, in this case the bartender at Malo in Silverlake. Most people are a little thrown when they see lomo cameras, so I think we were both pretty thrilled that he was willing to take our picture, and we were certainly thrilled when it came out so good.

Numnber 5 is a Diana fisheye double exposure from our summer trip out to Provincetown. P-town is an incredibly interesting place right on our doorstep – just a two hour ferry ride from Boston. But as is ever the case, you rarely make time to do the touristy things in your own neck of the woods. The weather was perfect and we had our bikes with us, ready to ride the dunes in between drinking and taking in the unique culture of America’s gay capital.

Number 6 is back home in Boston, at the height of summer, and actually at one of the highest places around – the grounds of the Bunker Hill monument. We worked so hard throughout the summer that it was often hard to get away and enjoy the good weather. So this particular Saturday, when we jumped on our bikes and rode up in Charlestown felt like utter bliss. And it just so happens to be our favorite lomo shot from the entire year. Coincidence?

Read Thom and Melissa’s LomoAmigo feature and their The Long Haul Project articles.

written by thelonghaulproject on 2012-01-12 #lifestyle #projects #the-long-haul-project