Saturday, 14 August 2010

Leeds Festival

To me, going to Leeds festival is a definite highlight of my year. I just love everything about it, from waiting to buy a ticket, the anticipation of the line up, to the agony of carrying all your stuff across what seems hundreds of miles to a pit of squaller and of course seeing your favourite bands. To some, a weekend of living in a field surrounded by rubbish sounds like absolute hell, but to me it's some of the best times I've ever had!
Music is something that really drives me, I love looking for new bands / music and love looking at the artwork, and to go somewhere that has hundreds of bands for one weekend for a small price, is something I live for. This is why I feel it is 'good' and was something I could practically research. What also makes it good is some of the controversy surrounding the festival - mainly to do with the bands - being bottled off, not showing up etc...

Some images I've taken this year and the past few times I've been:












Lots of booze is a must!
Broken tents - standard!

Don't forget the wellies!!


Site map
  • Main stage – major rock, indie, Metal and alternative acts.
  • NME/Radio 1 stage – less well-known acts, building up to an alternative headline act
  • Festival Republic stage (formerly known as the Carling stage) – acts with less popular appeal and breakthrough acts
  • Lock Up Stage – underground punk and hardcore acts.[7] Due to demand, from 2006 this stage took up two days rather than previous years where it was only one day.
  • Dance tent – dance music acts, on the day that the above stage does not run
  • Alternative tent – comedy and cabaret acts plus DJs.[8]
  • BBC Introducing Stage – Typically unsigned/not well known acts. (Formerly known as the Topman Unsigned Stage at the Leeds site).

Summary of the bands in an online pdf.

Useful information about the site from http://www.leedsfestival.com/home/

Opening Times

CAMPSITE AND CAR PARK OPENING TIMES
Opens: Early bird permit holders have access from 2pm Wednesday 25th August.
Otherwise 3am Thursday 26th August morning for standard weekend ticket holders. [If you have received tickets that state 8am, this was an error at the printers. 3am is correct]

Closes: Midday Monday 30th August.

Day ticket holders can only enter on the day their ticket states - the arena will open from 11am on Friday / Saturday / Sunday.

ARENA OPENING TIMES
Thursday 26th August - 5pm [only for weekend ticket holders]
Friday 27th August - 11am
Saturday 28th August - 11am
Sunday 29th August - 11am

12 noon Bank Holiday Monday August.

Things you can and can't bring

The following items are not allowed to be brought into the site by ticket holders:

- Excessive amounts of alcohol ie more than for personal consumption
- Any alcohol in the possession of anyone under 18
- Excessive amounts of cigarettes ie more than for personal consumption
- Excessive amounts of food ie more than for personal consumption
- Glass bottles, jars or containers
- Chinese or sky lanterns
- Illegal substances
- Nitrous oxide
- Legal highs
- Portable laser equipment and laser pens
- Unauthorised professional film, or video equipment
- Spray cans
- Audio recorders
- Fireworks
- Flares
- Generators (exemption for generators within campervans)
- Any goods with unauthorised Reading / Leeds Festival logos
- Any goods for unauthorised trading
- Any items which may reasonably be considered for use as a weapon
- Individual camping gas canisters (exemption for gas canisters fitted within campervans).
- Aerosols over 250ml
- Airhorns and megaphones

Permitted stoves which may be brought into the campsites:

- Disposable barbeques
- Meth stoves
- Trangia stoves
- Solid fuel stoves
- Gel stoves
- Green base camp cooker
- Firelighter stoves

In addition to the items not allowed in the campsites, the following items will not be allowed to be brought into the arena:

- Alcohol
- Drinks bottles other than sealed plastic water / soft drinks bottles under 500ml.
- Cans
- Disposable barbeques and other permitted stoves (above)
- Flags

All items will be confiscated. Receipts will be issued for all confiscated items and you can pick them up on Monday from 7am from the Left Luggage Tent in the Village. A lot of work goes into this system so do trust it and reclaim your confiscated items. The only items that will not be returned because we cannot safely store and return them are:

- illegal substances
- items that may be used as weapons
- gas canisters / aerosols including nitrous oxide

You may be body searched. Persons suspected of carrying items that may be used in an offensive or dangerous manner, or carrying out illegal activities may be searched.

No animals are allowed onsite with the exception of registered guide and hearing dogs.

Cameras are normally permitted for personal use. Cameras with telephoto lens will not be allowed through the arena entrance. Professional cameras and video / audio equipment are strictly prohibited. Live video / audio recordings made without the permission of the artiste or premises licence holder are prohibited.



A forums guide to your first Leeds Festival (from Leeds festival forum)

Basically, since alot of people are turning to this forum for hints & tips etc for festivals & making there time even better, i figured this would be a good idea!

Basically, if it was your first time @ leeds, just give some good hints at what you thought was life saving, or what you think you should of taken etc. Then we can make a list and give people a good idea of what to expect and make sure everythings all good =].

i'll start ...

1.) Money - take as much as you think you'll spend. i spent £21.50 between wednesday and monday (really!) and 6.50 of that was for my friends! However, you can easily spend £100 a day if you want to.

Foods not a rip off but it is abit steep really (£3.50 for a cheese burger etc.), so budget for that. Drink there is expensive- over £3 a pint from the bars and £23 for a 24 crate of carling. Ouch. i took 2 x 18 crates (36 cans) & that set me back £16 from Sainsburies.

2.) Sunday Night - everyones drinking the last of there alcohol. all of it. everyone gets s**tfaced, people start acting like bellends really. Riots can start. be warned. You can always leave on sunday night if your sober to drive. i left about 1am monday morning. Only took 15 mins to get out of the festival! Tis always an option if you do want it!

3.) Dont take anything you cant replace - that £350 digital camera would be missed alot more than a £5 disposable one! chances are someone will either go through your stuff when your in the arena or someone will get drunk and think its there tent and take stuff with them. I was lucky and didnt have anything nicked, but i kept everything in my car cos i didnt mind talking 30mins or so each day to my car to get everything i needed etc.

4.) Camping - Make friends with the people around you. if you look out for them, they'll do the same for you. Also, if you camp with people you dont know, its *alot* better! you'll have probably the best weekend if your life if you do. i Met a few amazing people at leeds this year, whereas my friends i came with, were just c**ts!

Also, if you get there anytime after 6am thursday, it'll be hard to get a place camping that isnt on a stupid hill, or next to some toilets (the doors bang and they smell weird). Come early, get a nice place with your friends!

Also, take a flag or some way of marking your tent. For two days i had no f**king idea where i was camped with my friends (cept somewhere in orange near a burger van). Flags can be seen for miles and are easy to remember. My friends covered there tents in Neon Pink/Green/Red/Orange paints so they stuck out. Worked a charm!

Camping chairs are also quite comfy. Deffo worth the £4 - or take your own. (they'll probably break or be nicked tho - most opf ours were!)

5.) Programmes - not cheap (£8) but worth it! not very nice thinking for half a year "I Cant Wait To See Enter Shikari!" then realising you missed them (didnt happen to me, luckily!) - the unofficial thing of the forum here was good, but friday was quite out due to +44 dropping out.

Merch isnt cheap either (£18 for a tee, £30 for a hoodie) - some unofficial stuff is nice tho for like £8!


& thats all i can think of for now. just add stuff and we can make the best guide ever =]


Definitely agree with everything he said!!



History of the event. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reading_and_Leeds_Festivals#History (Really struggled to find a more concise history).

The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in the United Kingdom. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend, sharing the same bill.
Leeds event is held in Bramham Park, near Wetherby, the grounds of an historic house. Campsites are available at both sites and weekend tickets include camping. Day tickets are also sold.
n 1999, the festival gained a second leg at Temple Newsam in Leeds, where the V Festival had been held in 1997 and 1998, when it was clear that the Reading site had become too small to deal with the increasing demand. The first year saw all bands play the Leeds site the following day to the day they played Reading, with the Reading leg running from Friday to Sunday and the Leeds leg running from Saturday to Monday. However in 2001 the current system where the line-up of Reading play Leeds the following day, with the bands from Leeds' opening day playing the final day in Reading, was introduced.

After a successful first year in Leeds, a continued resurgence in the popularity of outdoor music festivals led to the Reading festival selling out more and more quickly every year. The Leeds leg, however, was plagued by riots and violence which led to problems in retaining its licence. The worst of these was in 2002, after which Mean Fiddler moved the festival to Bramham Park, near Bramham north-east of Leeds in 2003. Since then, security at both sites has increased and problems have been reduced. (Although the Bramham Park site presents more challenges to the stage builders, it is far better suited to the needs of festival goers).

The early 2000s saw a varied but predominantly rock line-up, though as the decade has progressed the Main Stage and Radio 1 Stage line-up has featured mostly Indie artists. However, one day (Sunday in the case of Reading) is still traditionally set aside for hard rock and metal.

In 2005, the main stages at both Reading and Leeds were made larger, featuring unique cantilevered video screens.



2008

The Reading and Leeds Festivals took place on the weekend of the 22 to 24 August. Tickets had been released on March 31 at 6:45pm and sold out in less than 2 hours. Tickets sold through HMV also sold out in just one hour.

This was the first year "BBC Introducing..." had a stage at the festival. This replaced the Top Man Unsigned stage at the Leeds leg and was a new addition to the Reading site.

The Leeds Festival site saw incredibly heavy rainfall and was completely waterlogged from the Thursday onwards, causing massive problems travelling between campsite and arena. The bad weather plus many thousands of people resulted in campsites up to a foot deep in mud. (I was there!!!!!!!)

Flags were banned from both festival sites for the first time in 2009

A new sound system was used in 2009 at both the Reading and Leeds sites, and the consensus was that the sound quality in the field was markedly improved.



2010

The initial line-up announcement was made on Monday 29 March 2010, shortly after tickets went on sale. On 16 August 2010, it was confirmed that Guns N' Roses, Arcade Fire and Blink-182 would headline the main stage, with Lostprophets, Queens of the Stone Age, The Libertines, Paramore, LCD Soundsystem, Billy Talent, Biffy Clyro, Pendulum, Weezer, Klaxons, Lights,A Day to Remember, Modest Mouse and Frank Turner also playing over the weekend.

Controversy arose after Guns N' Roses turned up 60 minutes late for their headlining slot, despite being warned by festival organisers beforehand that they would be pulled from the bill if they failed to comply with the time regulations. After running over by 30 minutes, the band's sound was cut and after a rendition of Paradise City the members staged a sit down protest. Many fans however had already left and were disappointed in the band's failure to apologise for the incident.

Bottling acts offstage (being forced off stage by a barrage of audience-thrown plastic bottles and cans) is a popular 'tradition' at the festival.While the mass-participation can and bottle fights of the 1970s and 1980s have long since ended, unpopular bands have been bottled offstage throughout the festival's history.

List of headliners
  • From http://arkmag.co.uk/the-history-of-leeds-festival/

As around 70,000 music fans descend on Bramham Park for Leeds Festival 2010, it’s easy to take for granted a luxury that just over a decade ago didn’t exist here. We’re lucky to have one of the UK’s leading festivals on our doorstep – a real boost for the Leeds music scene – but we should not disregard what has been an incredible and rapid growth of Leeds Festival as the weekend of choice for the masses. With Glastonbury celebrating its 40th year, in comparison Leeds Festival is still just a child at 11 years old and is still to fully mature into adulthood. That’s not saying that Leeds Festival isn’t amazing, it is; but after witnessing just how far it’s come in such a brief history you have to consider just how much further Leeds can go.

Leeds Festival was born out of the National Jazz Festival, which for many years was based at Reading before evolving to become the Reading Festival we know. Then Leeds Festival was conceived. Demand had grown too high for just one venue and after hosting legends such as The Ramones, The Stone Roses, New Order as well as the iconic Nirvana set in 1992, Reading wanted to extend the family. Leeds Festival was born. In 1999, the same music that was being played at Reading could now be heard at Temple Newsam, only unlike its sibling it ran from Saturday to Monday on the August Bank Holiday weekend. The inaugural headliners were The Charlatans, Blur and Red Hot Chilli Peppers costing a mere £80 for a weekend ticket.

The early years were packed full of controversy as the first few festivals descended into violence and rioting, with some festival-goers bringing with them a disturbing mob mentality. In 2001, stones and other missiles were lobbed at police in just one rampage, whilst in 2002 the violence escalated to new heights; vandals set toilet blocks ablaze with flames soaring into the night sky.

A change was needed, and it was a change that was brought into effect. In 2003, after two years of violence and controversy, Leeds Festival said goodbye to Temple Newsam and arrived at its new home, Bramham Park. Melvin Benn, managing director of Festival Republic (then known as Mean Fiddler) reckoned the move “has given us an opportunity for a fresh start and has given us an opportunity to try new things. It was the right time to move.” Bramham Park brought a set of huge first headlining guests – Metallica, Linkin Park and Blur – and with them proof that despite its more controversial moments, Leeds Festival was continuing to attract the cream of the musical crop.


in 2007 the Topman Unsigned Stage returned to offer some of the best and newest local unsigned acts around.

This confirmed that the festival was becoming a must for real music fans, and by championing upcoming talent Leeds was edging in front of its elder sibling Reading who had not yet welcomed such a feature. Memorable moments included local favourites Kaiser Chiefs playing a secret set under the name Hooks For Hands in the Carling Tent; this was another Leeds exclusive and a sign that the younger and older counterparts were fighting to be the star of the family.

2008 brought the end of an era. Up until this point, although Leeds and Reading were talked about separately they were branded together by their sponsor as the Carling Weekend. But with the closing of the Carling sponsorship deal, the family was broken as Leeds and Reading became festivals in their own right, sharing the same line up but emerging with their own identities. Tickets for both sold out in under 2 hours, highlighting overwhelming demand to attend both festivals. The Topman Unsigned Stage also changed into the BBC Introducing Stage, bringing more big name sponsorship to a leading festival. But disaster too! The weather had always been unpredictable at Leeds over the years but 2008 saw festival-goers a foot deep in mud, descending the site into Sludgefest 2008.



  • http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/leeds/hi/people_and_places/music/newsid_8620000/8620614.stm

Unfortunately, the early years of the festival in Leeds were often as notable for controversy as for the musical fireworks.

For instance in 2001, with Eminem's appearance taking most of the musical headlines, police were pelted with stones and other missiles when violence erupted at the end of the festival.

A group went on a rampage of what the police called "mindless violence and damage" in the campsite.

More trouble followed next year, Kate Skelton (then a student in Leeds) said "a nasty combination of alcohol-fuelled mob mentality and a few cigarette lighters led to the burning of toilet blocks and vandalism on a massive scale."

So it was under a bit of a cloud that Leeds Festival moved to its current home, in Bramham Park, for the 2003 event. Acts appearing that year included Metallica, Linkin Park, and White Stripes.

Melvin Benn, managing director of promoter Mean Fiddler, tried to reassure local residents over the switch.





The new site of the festival was originally opposed by the Parish Council of nearby Thorner.

However, despite a few teething problems and heavy traffic volumes on the nearby A1 and A64, the festival has seemed to find a calmer home and the extra income generated by the event has been a boon for the Bramham estate.

  • http://www.efestivals.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=111220

2000, from what I've gathered saw a bit of trouble on the last night with burning toilet blocks and this was even worse in 2001.

2002 was the year of the big riots, with police helicopters being asked to come in and people lobbing missiles at it, and more burning toilets. The reason Leeds fest moved from Temple Newsam to Bramham.

2003, nothing. The fear that Leeds may be shut down if anything happens probably instilled fear in the idiots.

Again, I've heard nothing intense about 2004 although apparently security were on a massive power trip which could have led to the events of the following year.

2005 was the worst for Bramham, with riot police being brought in and Carling trucks being looted.

2006 and 2007, I've not heard much about. Apparently in 2006 it was because it was raining on the last night so no-one could be arsed starting fires etc.

2008 was pretty bad for cannister explosions, thefts and general twattery but there was no rioting.



  • http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/2217815.stm
Leeds Festival organisers say they are determined to return next year - despite a night of arson and violence which marred the event's end.

Around 500 people went on the rampage after the festival at Temple Newsam finished, burning 71 temporary toilets and a portable building to the ground and attacking police with missiles.

Skips were set alight and electric cables were pulled down, and 200 police officers - many in riot gear - were deployed to stop the trouble.

Over 50,000 people attended the three-day event, which otherwise passed off peacefully.




Some Opinions (50 people asked)

Ever been to Leeds / Reading Festival?
Yes 46.7%
No 53.3%

If no, are there any major reasons?
Price
line up 16.7%
being dirty for a weekend
hate camping
Other 83.3%
All of the above + riots, crime rate...
- not allowed :( mum wont let me haha
- never aorund
- just not wanting to go
- all- i'd rather pay to see a band perform on their own, with better acoustics and venue and more tracks, also less people who don't enjoy it there.

Friday, 13 August 2010

Lomography images of little relevance...

I've recently found a love for 'vintage' looking photography and 'random' shots of life, be it people, inanimate objects, etc. I think the colours produced are lovely.

http://www.lomography.com/about

"What the hell is Lomography?"

It was in the early 1990s when two students in Vienna, Austria, discovered a small enigmatic Russian camera, the Lomo Kompakt Automat, and started a new style of artistic experimental photography of unorthodox snapshots. In the blink of an eye the Lomographic message spread around the planet and people from North to South were screaming for Lomo LC-A’s. So they hopped on a plane, flew to St. Petersburg and negotiated a contract for the worldwide distribution of this fantastic little camera. Then everything happened quickly for Lomography. We set up the 10 golden rules as our guiding principals, held numerous exhibitions, world congresses, parties and events. Mounted groundbreaking collaborations and projects, installed lomography.com as our communication hub, developed new products, films and accessories all while opening up Lomography Gallery Stores in metropolises worldwide.

What started out spontaneously as an artistic approach to photography in the Vienna underground scene developed into Lomography becoming an international socio-cultural movement using photography as a creative approach to communicating, absorb and capturing the world. Today we are a globally active organization dedicated to experimental and creative visual expression, a playful combination of lo-tech and hi-tech and the amalgamation of a cultural institution with a commercial photographic and design company focussing entirely on the unique imagery, style and approach of analogue photography and its further development.


The 10 golden rules of Lomography

On this website we, an approximate Million of Lomographers worldwide, are creating the biggest ever-growing and ongoing snapshot portrait of the planet consisting of the wackiest, most exciting and most impossible little sights and moments of our time. Lomography is happening in the here and now, in the minds and shutters of Lomographers around the planet and in the analogue universe that, if anything, we are only starting to explore.

At the very base of this lie the 10 golden rules that define our philosophy and approach towards photography. Memorise them, recite them by heart, or break all the rules; whichever way, be ready to throw all your inhibitions about photography to the wind.

  1. Take your camera everywhere you go
  2. Use it any time – day and night
  3. Lomography is not an interference in your life, but part of it
  4. Try the shot from the hip
  5. Approach the objects of your lomographic desire as close as possible
  6. Don’t think (william firebrace)
  7. Be fast
  8. You don’t have to know beforehand what you captured on film
  9. Afterwards either
  10. Don’t worry about any rules

Lomography Products

Lomographic products are all characterized by the following traits: they are practical and sensual, they look good, they’re friendly, inexpensive, sexy, un-political, a tad intellectual (but not too high-brow) and distributed worldwide. Their sole purpose is to do nothing other than serve the daily, thousandfold desires of Lomographic creative expression!

Our product collection began with the incredible Lomo LC-A whose success let us keep the iron hot and striking with a steady stream of tasty and stimulating products. Our camera assortment has grown to include an assortment of offbeat optics that produce their own unique and incredible images: the medium format Diana+

and Lubitel 166+, the irresistible Diana Mini, our Instax products, devastating Colorsplash items, the stunning Fisheye camera, multi-lensed cameras such as the SuperSampler and Oktomat and last but not least, the Horizon panoramic cameras, provide a range of formats for intense Lomographic output. Alongside these creative tools you’ll find one of the most comprehensive offerings of film in the world and a full line of publications, bags, fashion and accessories; thereby rounding out an entire Lomographic lifestyle of irresistible items.


Diana F+ Back in the early ‘60s, the Diana camera was a cult legend, famous for its dreamy, radiant, lo-fi images. The Diana F+ is a new twist on the classic – a faithful reproduction with lots of cool new features thrown in, brought to you by Lomography!


Lomo Lubitel 166+ The Lomographic Society International is thrilled to introduce the Lubitel 166+, a loving recreation of this Soviet-era classic.

Diana Mini The Diana Mini has big shoes to fill being the little sister of the classic beauty Diana F+. Luckily the “Mini” was born a star in her own right. With the flick of a little switch you can move from the retro square format to the amazing Half-Frame, giving you the ability to Shoot Forever, packing 72 shots onto one 35mm film!

Horizon Perfekt

Clad in space-age ABS plastic, the Perfekt's featured full aperture and shutter settings allow you to dial in the precise exposure. Be blown away by its distinctive OF-28P swing lens that sweeps across the earth with full 120 degrees of vision!


Take one good look at a Lomograph and you’ll see that it holds a charm all of its own. Somehow everything is amplified and ordinary objects stand out, enhancing details that would normally go unnoticed. How can this be? We’ve narrowed it down to an ever-changing formula of certain variables like… shadowy vignetting that mysteriously frames the shot, light leaks, grain you could chip a tooth on, the magic of a great lens, deep saturation, just the right amount of contrast... to name but a few. A combination these factors and a healthy touch of the unexpected go into making each Lomograph unique. Essentially, Lomography embraces the element of surprise that only analogue film photography can bring and wholeheartedly celebrates the outcome.

LomoWalls

LomoWalls

A LomoWall is created from a flood of authentic, colourful and awe-inspiring analogue snapshots, also known as Lomographs. Part exhibition, part experience, a LomoWall is the sum total of thousands of Lomograhs taken by Lomographers from every corner of the globe. So far we’ve built LomoWalls in many a far-flung place, for example, the Photokina in Cologne; Trafalgar Square, London; Beijing, MOMA in New York.

It’s all about the Photos! For this very reason, we’ve created a website that is fully equipped with loads of exciting features for easy sharing and uploading. Browse through the Photos archive for your daily dose of Lomographic eye-candy, or better yet, hop on to the Lab to upload and organise your own photos ready to show off in your personal LomoHome! Need to know more about analogue photography? The Magazine’s got news, articles, tips, reviews, and competitions to keep you updated and inspired!


By now you probably have some kind of idea about what Lomography is. You know that it has something to do with cameras, analogue photography and a bunch of mind blowing, too good to be true, photos of the world. Correct? Well then, you are probably wondering how on Earth this establishment of creativity ever got started? Like most great stories, it began in a land far, far away…

Timeline

1982

Birth of the LOMO LC-A - the camera that started it all!

General Igor Petrowitsch Kornitzky, right-hand man to the USSR Minister of Defense and Industry, slammed a little Japanese compact camera onto the desk of his comrade Michail Panfilowitsch Panfiloff, the Director of the powerful LOMO Russian Arms and Optical factory. Panfiloff carefully examined the item, observing its sharp glass lens, extremely high light sensitivity and robust casing. Realizing its potential, the two gentlemen gave orders to the LOMO PLC factory in St. Petersburg, Russia to create an improved version of the Cosina CX-1 – and the first working sample of the LOMO LC-A was born!

1984

Launch of the LC-A

The LOMO LC-A began mass-production this year, with 1200 people working on the camera. Starting at 1100 units per month for the Russian market, its popularity soon spread to then –Communist countries such as Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Cuba.

1991

Discovery!

While touring Prague, a group of Viennese students stumbled upon the LOMO LC-A in a quirky, old-school camera shop, and started shooting from the hip. Upon returning to Vienna, they had their film rolls developed, resulting in strangely beautiful images. Soon the questions started coming from friends, family and strangers, they wanted their own LC-A cameras!

1992-1993

The birth of the Lomographic Society International

Astounded by the strangely beautiful photographs that the LOMO LC-A could create, the demand for this Russian gem quickly rose, which led to the formation of the Lomographic Society International (LSI). Along with the 10 Golden Rules, the non-profit movement aimed to spread the message of Lomography throughout the world by hosting exhibitions, parties, tours, and workshops.

1994

Lomo goes online, NYC vs Moscow exhibition, first embassy in Berlin

Lomo invades the world wide web at this time (www.lomo.com). It was also this year when the very first Lomographic exhibition was simultaneously held in New York City and Moscow, with massive LomoWalls gracing each city, showcasing colourful Lomographs from the other; months later, the first Lomo Embassy was established in Berlin.

1996

Provide for the future

With the LC-A’s popularity rise comes the biggest challenge – the Russian manufacturers decided to stop its production. Our “Wieners” bravely scooted to the LOMO Optics factory in Russia and successfully convinced the factory honchos and then-Vice Mayor Mr. Vladimir Putin to continue with the LC-A production!

1997

First World Congress in Madrid

Relaunching lomo.com as lomography.com, the new website introduces a product shop, community interaction, special projects, activities and services, plus the WorldArchive – displaying a collection of amazing Lomographs from different places. The first Lomographic World Congress in Madrid boasted a LomoWall of over 120 metres - consisting of over 35,000 Lomographs!

1998

Photokina

The Lomographic Society International launches the 4-lensed Actionsampler at the Photokina – the largest photography convention in the world. The strange-looking plastic camera takes four sequential images in one 35mm Lomograph and was an instant hit!

2000

First in-house camera, the Supersampler, community functions launched

Designed, manufactured, and patented by Lomography, the Supersampler emerges as the “Queen of all Multi-lens Cameras” – taking four panoramic panels of sequential images in one photograph. At lomography.com, new community functions were launched, one of which was the LomoHomes – a space for users to store all their photos and make their own LomoWalls, at the time, probably the most modern web site where you could host photos!

2001

First Lomography shop in Vienna

The very first Lomography shop in the world graced the Kunsthalle (Contemporary Art Hall) in the Vienna MuseumsQuartier in the summer of this year, featuring walls decked with Lomographs (LomoWalls), a wide range of innovative products from all over the world and the full line of Lomographic items. It also hosted workshops and other activities that cater to Lomography.

2003

First Sidekick TPE bag - Lomography fashion makes its entrance.

In addition to photographic products, Lomography introduces the first Sidekick TPE bag – designed to hold cameras, films, and even a small laptop. This jumpstarts the Lomography line of fashion items – t-shirts, bags, camera bags, and accessories have since been added to the fashion segment.

2004

World Congress in China, biggest ever LomoWall!

The biggest LomoWall to date was installed during the World Congress in China. For one whole week, Beijing was bursting with shiny Lomographs and exciting activities!

2005

The Fisheye camera

Lomography introduces a breakthrough in photography with the world’s first compact Fisheye camera – the Fisheye. Yielding nearly 180-degrees of circular Fisheye distortion in a 35mm photograph, it offered the easiest and most convenient way to try Fisheye!

2006

LC-A+

Lomography introduces the LC-A+ - a faithful reproduction of the Russian LC-A camera. Manufactured in China with an option to get the lens from Russia, it offered the same endearing qualities as the original – sharp contrast, deep saturation, and the trademark vignetting - while adding more exciting features such as a multiple-exposure switch and the option to use exclusively-for-LC-A+ accessories!

2007

Diana+, Hong Kong, Seoul and Paris Gallery Store openings, White Stripes collaboration and World Congress, London.

A faithful reproduction of the’60s medium-format classic Diana camera was introduced by the LSI – the Diana+, enhanced with features to promote more creative options. The year 2007 also saw the opening of Lomography Gallery Stores in Hong Kong, Paris, and Seoul, the World Congress in London, and Lomography’s collaboration with the White Stripes for the limited edition “Jack” Holga and “Meg” Diana+ cameras.

2008

Lubitel+ launch, “The Future is Analogue” exhibition at the Photokina, Cologne, Redscale film, Lomo X-Pro film & the LC-A Big Book.

Lomography strikes again with another exciting reproduction, the Lubitel+, our pimped-up version of the twin-lensed classic Lubitel camera. The year 2008 was a busy one as Lomography proudly declared that “The Future is Analogue” at the Photokina convention in Cologne, Germany, with a massive LomoWall covering both the walls and the floor – making it THE attraction to see. A survey was conducted prior to the event, evaluating the future of Lomography based on thoughts and opinions by the community, and gathering ideas and preferences, digital vs analogue-style. The massive LC-A book, which documented the entire story of the LC-A, accompanied by a compilation of the best Lomographs from around the world, was also launched at the convention. Two photographic techniques – cross processing and redscaling – were made easier to create with the introduction of the first Lomography films - the Lomography X-Pro film, and the Lomography Redscale film.

2009

New site launch , NYC Gallery Store, Diana Instant Back+, Colette, the year so far

The lomography.com website was given a complete relaunch, with a fresh new look and more sections for community interaction, contests, articles, and other crucial info related to Lomography and analogue photography – closing the gap between digital and analogue. This year also saw the opening of the Lomography shop in New York City! The Diana+ also reigned supreme with the unique collaboration between Lomography and Paris-based boutique colette for the "Dianalogues: Through A Woman’s Lens" Book & special edition camera. Plus the Diana Instant Back+ was launched, an accessory that turns the Diana+ camera into an instant camera!



Lomography is the commercial trademark of Lomographische AG, Austria for products and services related to photography. The name is inspired by the former state-run optics manufacturer LOMO PLC of Saint Petersburg, Russia. LOMO PLC created and produced the 35 mm LOMO LC-A Compact Automat camera — which became the centerpiece of Lomography's marketing and sales activities. This camera was loosely based upon the Cosina CX-1 and introduced in the early 1980s.

In 1991, the Austrian founders of Lomography discovered the Lomo LC-A. As the company states, they were "charmed by the unique, colorful, and sometimes blurry" images that the camera produced. After a series of international art exhibitions and aggressive marketing work, Lomography signed an exclusive distribution agreement with LOMO PLC — thereby becoming the sole distributor of all Lomo LC-A cameras outside of the Soviet Union.

Lomography emphasizes casual, snapshot photography. Characteristics such as over-saturated colors, off-kilter exposure, blurring, "happy accidents," and alternative film processing are often considered part of the "Lomographic Technique." Users are encouraged to take a lighthearted approach to their photography, and use these techniques to document everyday life, as the Lomo LC-A's small size, simple controls, and ability to shoot in low light encourages candid photography, photo reportage, and photo vérité through the much-touted "10 Golden Rules."

Since the introduction of the original Lomo LC-A, Lomography has produced and marketed an entire line of their own branded analog cameras. Most Lomographic cameras are designed to produce a single photographic effect. For example, the Lomography Fisheye camera features a built-in wideangle lens, and shoots fisheye-distorted photos. In 2005, production of the original Lomo LC-A was discontinued. Its replacement, the LC-A+, was introduced in Fall 2006. The new camera, made in China rather than Russia, featured the original Russian lens manufactured by LOMO PLC. This changed as of mid-2007 with the lens now made in China as well.

Similar to Eastman Kodak's concept of the "Kodak moment," the Lomography motto of "don't think, just shoot" presumes spontaneity, close-ups, and ubiquity, while deemphasizing formal technique. Typical lomography cameras are deliberately low-fidelity and inexpensively constructed. Some cameras make use of multiple lenses and rainbow-colored flashes, or exhibit extreme optical distortions and even light leaks.

Current models marketed by Lomographische AG include Lomo LC-A, Diana, Holga, Holga 35mm, Actionsampler, Frogeye, Pop-9, Oktomat, Fisheye, Fisheye2, Colorsplash, Colorsplash Flash, F-stop Bang, SuperSampler, Horizon 202, Seagull TLR, and Smena 8M. The company also resells dead stock Polaroid cameras and Russian dead stock - the sort normally acquired at "quirky, old-school camera shops," as the company's web site puts it.

The Lomo LC-A lens effect can be digitally emulated with photo-editing software such as GIMP or Photoshop. In addition, the company's promotional web site for Lomography showcases many high-contrast photographs - with unusual saturation and color - that were created using the technique called cross processing in which film intended for developing in slide chemistry (E-6) is processed in photographic negative chemistry (C-41), and vice versa. This technique can be employed with any film camera and can be somewhat mimicked with digital software as well.

What is great about the old analogue style is that digital media - such as my Iphone now has apps to celebrate the old style of photography... which i sadly downloaded and took some photos of inanimate objects in a similar style and had a play around: