12/01/2011 / by Claudia Phares

On my 2nd day in LA, I was out on Santa Monica Blvd and serendipitously found myself standing in front of the LA Lomography Gallery Store. I walked in and felt like a kid in a candy store: there were cameras everywhere and of different colours; a wall covered from floor to ceiling with lomo prints! I was greeted by Satomi, a virtuoso herself in the art of lomography. (She’s got a profile on the lomo website worth checking out.) Satomi kindly went through the different models of lomo cameras. I mentioned I owned a Holga. We shared our love for the dreamy effects of pinhole photography. I wasn’t expecting to leave with a camera, but Satomi’s passion for lomography was seriously contagious! Mind you, no one twisted my arm plus, I am a self-confessed camera gear head! I chose the Diana F+ with flash. It comes with 3 extra apertures on top of the pinhole if you compare it to the Holga. There’s also an option for long exposures. I have yet to develop my Diana rolls to see the results.FYI, there are Lomo Gallery Stores in all the major cities around the world. Check out their websites for news, workshops, competitions, etc.