BBC: Lomography turns 20

"The Lomo LC-A was built by the Leningrad Optical Mechanical Association in what is now St Petersburg. Designed by Michail Panfiloff, the camera was based on a Japanese compact called the Cosina CX-2. It was intended to be handed out to Communist Party cadres as a gift."--BBC News in Pictures

On lomography’s 20^th birthday, the BBC has a retrospective on the film fan’s favorite photography tool. 

In the early 1990's, the soviet-era lomography camera made its way into the hands of art students in Prague. The distinctive vignetting, rich coloring and compatibility with cheap, expired film made it a favorite among the avant-garde photographer with a budget. Soon, the demand for the affordable cameras made defunct lomography manufacturers restart production and lomography made its way to a larger market.

Now, lomography is synonymous with the lo-fi processing trends of mobile photography. The BBC touched on the resurgance of lomographic imagery in the article:

Lomography's devotees seem unconcerned with the rise of digital Lomo imitators such as Instagram and Hipstamatic.

"When all around us other people are looking for an instant fix, instant results, and images that you just take, look at and delete in a flash, then Lomography is doing something great by going against the grain," says [photographer Toby] Mason.

There is also one kind of excitement that most digital photographers have forgotten, or will never experience - the wait for the film to come back from the lab.

Read the rest of the article here.