Lomography

There are several elements that contribute to my Lomo story/addiction: My Wife, my sister, a holiday, and a desperate need for the toilet.

There are several elements that contribute to my Lomo story/addiction: My Wife, my sister, a holiday, and a desperate need for the toilet.

My Lomo story has a false start in Manchester. I was with some friends and I saw a display cabinet of (what I now know were) Lomo cameras – and I really liked the look of them, shiny and colourful, signing their Lomo siren song tempting me with their plastic curves and many lenses, their funky packing and the promise of some sort of instant art. I would have bought them all there and then but my ever sensible wife reminded me that I was a little strapped for cash and perhaps buying food for our son was a bit more of a priority- reluctantly I agreed (don’t hate her – she just doesn’t get it!).

Fast forward about 8 months. I went to visit my little sister in Washington DC, and we spent a weekend in New York. In MOMA there was a photography exhibition and being a photographer I thought I should check it out. I walked around and admired many cool thing in particular a Jackson Pollock. I was inspired and pumped up, I was excited, I was on holiday I was desperate for the loo and then I was a kid in a candy store – because there in the museums store was a selection of those same funny plastic cameras I had seen in Manchester those months previous. With my sister preoccupied deciding between two espresso cups, and my wife’s voice of reason somewhere on the other side of the world, and my bladder demanding a decision – I grabbed the fish eye no.2 with its big lens, brushed steel, and that funny thing on top and ran (sensibly; it a museum after all) to the checkout. I then ran (less sensibly as I was getting more desperate and the cue at the checkout had been quite big) to the toilet.

Having decided on an apron rather than and cafenalia my sister joined me out side – but it was too late, the camera was out, the film was loaded and I was hooked.

This was the beginning. An analogue family rather quickly grew and needed accommodation in my house. I now have a display cabinet with many camera lenses looking out into my front room.
That’s not me bragging I think I need help (and so does my wife).

These pictures are from the very first roll in my fisheye :)

www.lomohomes.com/mattcharnock