Lomography - My Diana F+ Photos!

It's sadly nearly the end of the two week 'Loblography Challenge', which has been a brilliant little adventure into the unpredictable land of Lomography, accompanied by the delightful Diana F+. I took her on adventures around the more interesting parts of the city centre, which was very happy to pose for me in all of its photogenic glory! Of course, some of my shots came out terribly, and I definitely need to work on my double exposures (so many failed attempts!) but here are a little selection of my favourites from the 2 films that I sent to be developed.

I think having a little bit of experience with the Kodak Colorsnap definitely helped, as I remembered to hold the camera still and to open the aperture a bit more than I'd naturally think to, so that definitely helped a lot! Although I tried to bear in mind the 10 Golden Rules of Lomography (see below), I found myself planning most of my shots - it's really hard not to when you only have 12 shots on a film!

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.
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.

 I'd definitely try to 'think less' next time - its just a case of getting used to analogue cameras - and remembering to take the lens cap off, of course! I'd also test out more of the flash colour filters - I was only daring enough to try out a pale yellow one on the strawberry shot, in the hope of getting a vintage glow.

I'll leave you all with a rather ghostly photo of myself sat on a bench. It was supposed to be a double exposure, with a second shot of my boyfriend sat at the other end of the bench, but he seems to have been cut off in an unfortunate case of misaligned frames! Oh no!

Anyway, which is your favourite shot?

Sadie xxx

P.S. Many thanks to Lomography.com for giving me the opportunity to try out the camera!!

The Diana F+

A few weeks ago, I entered a competition to take part in 'The LoBlography Challenge'. The prize was to try out a Diana F+ Toy Camera over a period of two weeks - with developing and film all courtesy of Lomography.com! With only 10 places available in the challenge, I didn't think I stood much of a chance, but I was delighted to discover that I was accepted!

The challenge officially started on Tuesday, and it involves competing against the other 9 bloggers to gain the most comments on our Diana F+ based posts - (so I'd love it if you could help me out there, hehe)! The overall winner will win a brand new LC-A+!

So without further ado... introducing my new Diana! Isn't she beautiful?

The camera came in a box with lots of added extras - including this lovely little photo book, filled with immaculate examples of photos taken with the Diana, as well as a little bit about its history, shooting techniques, and a few interviews.

Being a lover of all things from the 1960s, of course, the Diana with its simple yet stylised aesthetics really appeals! Back in the 60s, it was sold as a novelty 'Toy Camera', costing just one dollar per camera - but it was discontinued in the 70s as it didn't take off. It was later revived by analogue photographers, attracted by its unpredictable outcomes, including vignettes, light leaks and random contrast.

I've already taken my Diana for a day out, shooting various sights in the city centre. I'll be sure to post up the results once I get them back from the developing labs!

Have any of you used a Diana before? How did your photos come out?

Sadie xxx

P.S. I'd like to say a big thankyou to one of my readers, Holly, for notifying me about this challenge! You can find her Lomography account here - I particularly love her shots of Brighton sea front!

Brighton Rock: 1964

Last weekend I was lucky enough to see the new version of Brighton Rock at my local cinema (which happens to have a full art deco facade and matching interiors!). It isn't the typical sort of film I'd choose to watch, but when I heard that the remake was set in 1960s Brighton, complete with mods and rockers, I was compelled to watch it!

The film is based on the book by Graham Greene, written all the way back in 1939. It focuses on a gang of Brighton-based criminals, one of whom finds himself at risk of arrest after the violent murder of a rival gang member along the sea front. In order to stop the evidence reaching the police, the main character Pinkie tries to seduce the only witness, a young naive waitress called Rose.
 
As the plot unfolded, I fell more and more in love with the various sets and costumes used in the film. It was nice to see so much attention paid to the male cast's outfits, perfectly portraying the lifestyle of the characters with a mix of smart shirts and tatty trench coats. Of course, the female outfits also appealed to my inner mod, especially an ensemble comprising of a dusky pink babydoll dress, white trapeze coat and white tights carefully put together by Rose after a visit to a mod boutique.
 

I couldn't help but notice that all of the mods seem to be over the age of 30, so perhaps not quite historically accurate, but they still retain their edge... perhaps the local scooter club were enlisted to be the extras?

 

Anyway, how could I resist the temptation to don my best Mod-inspired outfit after this 111 minute journey into the 60s? Due to a severe lack of funds, I haven't been able to treat myself to as many of the highstreet peter-pan collared delights as I would have liked, so I've combined the jumper from this post with the wonderful polkadot minidress from this post, kindly given to me by my boyfriend's mum. The burgundy cardigan was a bargain at 20p(!) and I've finished the outfit with my trusty Clarks patent loafers!

 

 

If you're interested in finding out more about the film, you can watch the trailer here!

 

Sadie xxx

 

P.S. I've been lucky enough to be selected to try out a Diana F+ camera, courtesy of www.lomographyuk.com! It's arriving at some point this week - I'm so excited!