Hong Kong Panoramas on LomoChrome Color '92 by Film Photographer Tom

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In film photographer Tom's (@t0m7) panoramic images, taken in Hong Kong and using LomoChrome Color '92, he arranges visual elements in such a way that perfectly conveys the buzzing and humming of everyday life in the city.

Neon-lit stores, red taxis, tall buildings, and life continuing as it does – the artist's use of framing and light stand out to reflect Hong Kong's unique character in panoramic mode. Here's our interview with him about experiencing Hong Kong, taking good panoramic photos, his favorite shots, and more.

Credits: t0m7

Hi, Tom! Welcome to the magazine. First, can you tell us about yourself? How and when did you discover film photography?

Hi dear Lomo-Family! I am Tom, aka @t0m7. I’m originally from the birthplace of Lomography – Austria, but moved to New York for work some years ago. I’ve been film-photographing and Lomographing for more than a decade now – since March 2010 to be precise. That’s when I bought my first analogue camera, a Diana Mini.

I had been photographing with my DSLR for a few years before but got bored with the plain digital images I was getting. Even though my first rolls from the Diana Mini weren’t spectacular by any means, I immediately got hooked by the character of the images – the vignetting, grain, softness.

Instead of spending hours in front of the computer trying to make my DSLR photos look interesting, I got cool, characterful, and unique images just by having fun walking around and shooting away with my Diana Mini. I soon started saving some money to buy a used LC-A and have been in love with film photography and Lomography ever since.

Credits: t0m7

Why do you prefer to shoot on film?

For a big part for the same reason I started with film photography in the first place: I just love the look of film! The unique tones of different films, the grain, and the characters of lenses and cameras add something special and unique to each image that just feels warmer, more personal, and natural – and all you have to do is shoot a roll and drop it off at your lab.

Film photography makes me feel like I create visual memories – imperfect, romanticized, vibrant - or turning a moment into art, whereas digital photography feels more like a sterile documentation of the moment.

I still use my phone’s camera, but the photos that mean the most to me, that I’m most proud of, that create the strongest emotions, and that eventually get printed or put into beautiful photo albums, they have all been shot on film.

Credits: t0m7

And that’s only the emotional, artsy, and subjective dimension. A big part of the joy I get from film photography also comes from using different types of film – it’s so much fun getting the grainy classic reportage look from a roll of Kodak Tri-X, being transported to the 90s and early childhood family pictures with the retro colors of the LomoChrome Color '92, making your backyard forest look like an alien planet with some LomoChrome Purple, and being amazed by crispy high-contrast slide film. Oh, and did I mention how much I love cross-processed slide film?

Credits: t0m7

Well, I get carried away but allow me a last point: film cameras are simply more fun to use than their digital counterparts. There are so many different types, formats, and features to experiment with, and there’s no digital equivalent to a swing lens panorama camera like the Horizon, a double-frame cinematic panorama camera like the XPan, or a TLR like the Lubitel.

Sure, you can crop your digital images and you can swing your phone in panorama mode, but that doesn’t come close to the experience of using the real thing. And while there are now many digital toy cams and endless digital filter apps, pictures from these all look the same after a while.

Credits: t0m7

We came across your panoramic photos taken in Hong Kong recently. What inspired you to capture Hong Kong this way, and what do you think about your results?

Hong Kong is probably my favorite city in the world. When I had to travel to Beijing for work this year, I knew I had to take some time off for a stop in Hong Kong. It’s such a cool, beautiful, crazy, modern, and just generally awesome city.

This quote by local master photographer Wing Shya sums it up perfectly for me: “There was a mood. I saw how everything was loud, lit up, like a collage of life. To be imperfect, that is Hong Kong: A place filled with little mistakes. When you add it all up, it’s really beautiful.”

Credits: t0m7

Hong Kong’s history, its mixture of cultures and of old and new, its architecture, grittiness and cyberpunk-like style make it super cinematic and photogenic. I knew I had to bring my XPan to shoot some cinema-format panoramic photos to capture as much of its dynamic and details as possible.

I shot more than 15 rolls of film and am very happy with how most of the pictures turned out.

One of the film stocks you used was the LomoChrome Color '92. How was your experience with this film?

I hadn’t had a chance to try any LomoChrome Color '92 before but shot two rolls in Hong Kong. I chose this film because I think it suits the city very well; there are many things in Hong Kong that have a distinct 80s or 90s charm – most obviously lots of the architecture but also things like the omnipresent red taxis from the 90s that I love so much:

Credits: t0m7

With the retro-look of the LomoChrome Color '92 I tried to produce some pictures that look like they could be from the 90s. I found the vivid colors great to reflect the vibrance of the bustling city, and the strong grain to emphasize its grittiness.

Also the higher ISO speed of 400 has been very useful to capture street scenes in the deep shadows between the high-rise buildings.

Credits: t0m7

One thing I particularly liked about your panoramic shots is the framing which gives us a lively and vivid view of the streets. Can you tell us a few tips you keep in mind when shooting in panoramic mode?

Thank you very much! I’ve been in love with panorama pictures and analogue panorama cameras even since I first laid eyes on the Horizon Perfekt, shortly after getting my first Lomo LC-A.

I now own several panoramic cameras but owning and using them by no means made me an expert and I’m still trying and learning how to take good panoramic pictures. However, here are some lessons learnt and tips from my panoramic journey so far:

• Fill the frame! I find panoramas most interesting when there’s a lot going on from the left to the right and your eyes can wander around and explore the frame. Busy city streets like Hong Kong’s make that easy, but I’d recommend you check out Jeff Bridges’ photography for some great inspiration on busy panoramas that tell a story.
• Keep the horizon straight, and with swing lens cameras like the Horizon, Widelux and Noblex, in the middle of the frame, otherwise your world will look very curvy (which can be a cool effect though)
• For swing lens cameras like Horizon and Widelux: Get close to your subject(s) and ideally put two subjects, left and right, 90 degrees apart from each other
• For ‘flat’ (non-rotating/swing lens) panoramic cameras like the XPan or Sprocket Rocket don’t limit yourself to landscapes but go close and explore different angles, embrace the cinematic style of the format and try to shoot some ‘movie scenes’.
• In general, it’s never a mistake to just follow Lomography’s 10 Golden Rules!

Credits: t0m7

Finally, do you have a favorite LomoChrome Color '92 photo from this album and can you tell us the story behind it?

One? That’s too difficult! But if you allow me three:

Credits: t0m7

I walked around Central and Kowloon many many hours at night to capture some moody, cyberpunk-like night scenes. You can see many of them in my Tungsten album here. (Hey Lomography, don’t you want to release some LomoChrome Tungsten film?)

I like this one above because it has many elements I was striving to capture: a moody street scene, some light grittiness, the feel and vibe of an 80s/90s picture, and of course, my beloved old red taxi.

Credits: t0m7

I also really like this one of two ladies enjoying the view from the Sky 100 observation deck. It was just a quick snapshot but the two silhouettes make it look like an intimate movie scene to me.

Credits: t0m7

Did I mention that I have a thing for Hong Kong taxis? I also have a thing for colors, contrasts and geometric lines, and this big intersection tempted me to just get it all together in one shot. I think I shot more than a roll in total of taxis in such intersections but only got a handful of pictures I like – this is one of them.

Thanks a lot for the interview!


We'd like to thank Tom for sharing his photos and experiences with us! To keep in touch, visit his LomoHome.

written by sylvann on 2025-01-24 #culture #places #panorama #hong-kong #t0m7 #lomochrome-color-92

LomoChrome Color '92 ISO 400 35 mm Film

This new, unique color negative emulsion provides a burst of retro charm and classic analogue character in any film shooting scenario.

4 Comments

  1. whilethemusiclasts
    whilethemusiclasts ·

    Simply stunning!

  2. kurtfletcher
    kurtfletcher ·

    Beautiful shots Tom! These compositions are gorgeous, my favourite is the ferris wheel shot! Beautiful colours.

  3. polaroidlove
    polaroidlove ·

    Wonderful photos!

  4. t0m7
    t0m7 ·

    @whilethemusiclasts @kurtfletcher @polaroidlove Thank you all, glad you like them! Photogenic Hong Kong makes it easy to take awesome pictures!

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