The Lomo Diaries

New Puppy!

Melissa — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 17:42:31 +0000

Just wanted to give an exciting update on my life: I just adopted a new puppy this weekend! She is a corgi mix, and is absolutely precious. Almost too cute to be true.

She is probably going to be a very common subject of mine in lomography to come. I’m so excited! I get to take her home next Wednesday, September 26.

I Got a New Camera!

Melissa — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 23:27:00 +0000

The Fisheye Baby 110!

So I said in my last post that I had some exciting news. Here it is! I recently purchased a NEW Lomography camera! It’s called the Fisheye Baby 110. This little guy is super tiny, and fits pretty much everywhere. My Diana is a bit bulky, and so I can’t always have it with me. This guy can be taken ANYWHERE!

This camera takes photos on 110 film, and uses a fisheye lens. This means the photos are distorted a bit. Here’s an example of one:

Fisheye Photo

Pretty cool, huh? I have taken about 8 photos on this camera so far, and can’t wait to finish out the film and get it developed.

Here’s more info on this little guy:

Product Description

Undersized Overachiever – The Fisheye Baby 110 Basic may be super small in size, but it packs the same punch as the bigger Fisheye No.2!Rule #1 – Now there’s no excuse not to take a camera everywhere you go. The Fisheye Baby 110 is teeny-tiny it can fit in a small bag, slide in your pocket or be worn as a pendant!

Point and Shoot – The Fisheye Baby 110 is very easy to use, perfect for people who are new to analogue photography. This camera has limited controls, letting you enjoy simple snap-shooting.

See the World in Circles – The Fisheye Baby 110 captures the same 170-degree circular images on a rectangular picture.

Easy Multiple and Long Exposures – This little camera allows for full photographic experimentation!

Uses 110 Film – Lomography has brought this format back from the dead. Load your Fisheye Baby 110 with our fresh Lomography 110 film

Here are some more photos of the FB110:

Side view

Look at how teeny tiny!

For more info on the camera, or if you’d like to buy one yourself, check it out here: Fisheye Baby 110.

First 35mm Rolls Are Here (Finally)!

Melissa — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 15:40:39 +0000

Thank goodness, I finally got on the ball and took my two 35mm film rolls to get developed at the Lomography store in Austin. These two rolls were both 800 ISO color negative. One thing I noticed about all the photos is that they are very modern-looking. These aren’t nearly as saturated or desaturated as some of the previous rolls I’ve had. I’m just glad that most of them actually came out! I had a few mishaps, but most of the photos were pretty great. I definitely need to get used to framing these photos, because they are not squares like the 120mm. Below I’ll share some of my favorites:

Andrew walking into the wilderness of Mayfield Park

Frost Tower, Downtown Austin

Jester King Craft Brewery (took Andrew here for his birthday)

The U.S.S. Lexington in Corpus Christi

A replica of Christopher Columbus’s Santa Maria (I LOVE this shot!)

A nice photo of the T-Heads in Corpus Christi

The Selena memorial in Corpus Christi

Another nice shot of the T-Heads

This one’s great, I love the way I framed it. The Highball in Austin, TX

Elephants at the Houston Zoo

Giraffes at the Houston Zoo

A view of Downtown Austin from the top of Mount Bonnell

A BEAUTIFUL shot of a peacock in Mayfield Park. WOW!

The Capitol building in Austin Texas.

A view from inside the Capitol building.

The 12th St street art wall. Love the color saturation in this one.

More street art. Not sure where this was taken.

Needless to say, these was my most successful try yet. It doesn’t hurt that A) I had 36 exposures per roll and B) it was 35mm film which is probably a lot easier to use than other films. It was also 800 ISO so it’s extremely light sensitive. This means it can capture great photos, even in low light. I’m so excited that these came out so well, and it whets my appetite for shooting a lot more. I have a great surprise coming in my next post!

Sorry for Neglecting!

Melissa — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 17:23:02 +0000

To my followers: Sorry I’ve been neglecting this blog for so long! I currently have one finished roll of 35mm film and then another in my camera with maybe 2 or 3 photos left. After I finish that roll, I will immediately get both rolls developed. I look forward to seeing my first 35mm rolls AND showing them to you!

Learned Something About My 35mm Back

Melissa — Sat, 19 May 2012 17:43:51 +0000

Do you remember how when you use 35mm cameras, after taking a shot you roll the film until it stops on the next frame? Well, Diana F+’s do NOT do that, since it is normally a medium format camera. I purchased a 35mm back for my Diana F+ since I thought shooting 36 exposures at a time would help me get used to my camera better than 12/16 exposures.

The Diana F+ 35mm Back

However, my main concern was that the dial didn’t stop at your next frame. I was just guessing based on the numbers and dots that appear as you twist it.

Of course, after my first roll of 35mm film I discovered the trick. I have yet to get my first roll developed, and to be honest, I’m a little bit nervous (and maybe embarrassed) because it’s so simple. As you turn the dial, there is a small dot that rotates. After your shot, you turn it and the dot disappears. Once it reappears, you know you’re on the next frame. Easy peezy!

See the big white dot? Also, you can see that N is for normal photos (what I’m currently using) and P is for panoramic. You’ll take less photos on P setting.

For anyone out there having the same issue with their Diana 35mm back, I hope this helps!

Andrew’s Last 3 Rolls

Melissa — Tue, 15 May 2012 04:12:06 +0000

I totally forgot to upload Andrew’s last rolls to my LD blog, oops! Correcting that mistake now. Most of his pictures came out awesome. Some of them included me!

Me at Mayfield Park–looking rather sarcastic

At Town Lake playing in a piece of art?

Town Lake, view of Downtown Skyline

Me “taking a picture”

Art on the Side (art wall) in Downtown Austin

Me somewhere on South Congress

Art Wall at Frank Restaurant

This one’s awesome…at the Frost Tower in Downtown Austin

Austin Motel on South Congress–an Austin staple

Great photos, right? I’m really impressed. You can definitely see the wide angle lens effects in these photos too. One of these days, we’re going to switch cameras and test out each others’. We also have planned a little game where we’re each going to use a roll of film, then give each other the rolls, and then double expose all the photos and see what happens. Can’t wait!

Roll 3: What I Learned

Melissa — Thu, 03 May 2012 21:56:07 +0000

I stopped in the Lomography store yesterday and learned a few things

My last roll looked bad because I had the setting on “B” instead of “N”…it should be on “N” for color negative film when outside
Lomography stores do develop film, for cheaper than the photo stores here…so I know where I’ll be taking my next roll!
Color Slide film needs a little bit more time to absorb light, therefore B works for that film
They have all kinds of workshops and parties at the store, and I am going to start going as much as possible!
They just came out with these ADORABLE La Sardina cameras…and I want one!

Of course you can find them here: http://www.lomography.com. Now, I don’t intentionally advertise for Lomography, although it would be cool if I got paid to do so. I just really love their products so much, and want people to support them.

My Third Roll: So-So

Melissa — Wed, 02 May 2012 00:54:24 +0000

Last week, I got my third roll developed. This was the 800 ISO Color Negative film. Pretty much all of them turned out overexposed, so I think I had it on the wrong setting. That’s okay, still learning. One photo came out amazingly though:

View of Austin Skyline from Lamar Bridge

Here are examples of the others:

Austin Motel

Frost Tower

Art on the Side (Downtown Austin street art)

: The Capitol Building

Lomography.com Published My Article

Melissa — Tue, 01 May 2012 19:48:52 +0000

I just posted an article to Lomography.com, and they published it today! Take a look at it here:

My Article on Lomography.com

Why Lomography?

Melissa — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:03:43 +0000

When I tell people about my newfound hobby of analog photography // lomography, they always tend to ask “why?”. Why, when digital cameras are so much easier to use, would you use film? Well, I wanted to answer this valid question with several bullet points:

I choose film, not in spite of, but because of its unpredictability; I love that you don’t know what you’re gonna get
It creates physical manifestations of memories. When flipping through your prints, you will go back to that moment in time and remember how hard it was to catch that moment as it was happening. But you’re so glad you did.
Because I don’t have any other hobbies. I’ve always felt rather lame when people ask me what my hobbies are, and I realize that I spend most of my free time eating a restaurants or watching old episodes of 30 Rock. This is a hobby I can be proud to say I have.
It forces me to do things I normally wouldn’t. I had no idea certain parts of Austin existed, and without my new camera, I probably never would. Just the other day, I went to Mayfield Park which is a cute little park in west Austin with tons of peacocks. I would never had known it existed if Andrew and I hadn’t sought out cool places to take photos.
It teaches me to appreciate what I see from a new perspective. That graffiti on the wall? It’s not an eyesore, it’s art created by a street artist. That crack in the pavement? An interesting addition to an otherwise boring sidewalk. Squirrels? Hilarious (and hard to catch) subjects for photos
I feel like I’m part of a “society” of people who share the same joy in the hobby. There’s a whole network of people all over the world connected to Lomography.com. I belong to it now, and I feel like I’m part of this new family that reaches in every country across the globe.
Because it’s something special I can share with Andrew.
Because I am becoming a tourist in my own city.

Are you a lomographer? Why do you choose to use film instead of digital?