Learning with Lomography: Campus Diaries and Film Swap at Fudan University
2This summer, as Fudan University marked its 120th anniversary, Lomography China teamed up with the Fudan Photography Association to launch a special experimental film project.
Through an open call, one group of students picked up the LomoKino to create their own campus film diaries. Another group reached for the LomoApparat 21 mm Wide-angle Camera for a collaborative Film Swap, passing rolls of film from hand to hand so each frame carried the story forward.
Amidst the unpredictability of film and the nostalgic charm of a hand-cranked camera, the students rediscovered their familiar campus in fresh ways – weaving stories of youth into just a handful of precious frames. We sat down with two participants to hear about their experiences.
Xu Yiyang: Capturing Campus Love in Stop-Motion
For Xu Yiyang, a clinical medicine student since 2022, this was his very first time shooting on film. Until now, he mostly documented life with a Nikon Z5 digital camera, a drone, or instant cameras. For this project, he chose to work with the LomoKino.
“This camera feels so special – like a tiny vintage movie machine. Unlike shooting on a phone, there’s no live preview. You can only rely on the viewfinder and available light, so the results are full of surprises.”
By coincidence, filming day fell on May 20 (520, a day of love in China). Inspired, Xu decided to create a short “campus romance film” on the lawn of Fudan’s Fenglin campus, inviting a couple from class to take part. With the setting sun and a rose as their backdrop, the shoot came together perfectly.
His favorite moment? Xu laughs:
“Of course, it’s that sweet kiss frame! No need to explain – just enjoy it.”
For Xu, the project wasn’t only a technical challenge. It also helped him rediscover the beauty of everyday campus life: classmates laughing at dusk, sunlight filtering through the trees, grass swaying in the breeze.
“If this film becomes a time capsule, I hope that ten years later, the couple in it will remember the joy of their campus days.”
Wang Yifan: Finding Freedom in the Unexpected
By the time of our interview, Wang Yifan, a Master’s student in Microelectronics at Fudan, had already departed for an exchange program in the U.S. A keen street and landscape photographer, with some commercial work under his belt, he joined the project through the Film Swap, together with fellow participant Liu Ding.
What makes Film Swap special is its unpredictability: a single roll is completed by several people, so the final layered image is something no one can truly foresee.
“After finishing my first few shots, I couldn’t help but imagine how the next person would continue. Sometimes we even had to discuss whether to shoot vertically or horizontally, otherwise the double exposures might not align at all. But that randomness, that’s what makes it exciting.”
To push that sense of uncertainty, Wang leaned into close-ups and off-balance compositions, deliberately avoiding overly neat frames. His favorite shot came from a spontaneous capture at the entrance of the Ye Yaozhen Building, taken with the LomoApparat.
One serendipitous moment came when he bumped into a student from Nanjing University playing basketball on Fudan’s courts. Wang asked to photograph him mid-jump, and the resulting frame became one of his most satisfying shots.
Reflecting on the experience, he shared:
“I realized how many moments are worth preserving. Like the bicycle I bought when I arrived Fudan – it carried me through my whole student life until I eventually lost it before graduating. Just like me, it gave all of its youth to this campus.”
Whether it’s a campus romance on the LomoKino or the layered surprises of a Film Swap with the LomoApparat, these works capture fragments of youth through the eyes of Fudan students.
We’re grateful to everyone who took part in this project. We hope it brought the joy of working Lomography’s experimental cameras and offered a chance to see everyday surroundings with fresh eyes – a small reminder of the fleeting moments you lived at Fudan.
written by jluo on 2025-10-13 #gear #culture #people #film-swap #lomokino #learning-with-lomography #fudan-university
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