Plastic Passion: Revisiting lomo cameras in 2025 (Part two)

This is part two of a two part series on shooting with Lomography cameras. you can see part one, from last week, here. 

In use

How could something so simple be so tricky to use? I guess that depends on how you look at it and your expectations.

As photographers we often strive for perfection in our images – and yet you are unlikely to ever achieve that with these cameras. However, if you re-align your expectations, you might well fall in love with these erratic images, as when it does go well the images are simply wonderful in a strange kind of way.

For some reason, I find the images captured with these cameras carry a much more satisfying and wholesome connection to them, especially when compared to a clean digital image; cliché, maybe, but true for me.

These cameras were heavily marketed as shoot from the hip without a thought camera by Lomography, and that is how many use them.

Going beyond this and trying to create something special is a tricky business, but it is achievable with a few compromises once you understand their limitations, so persevere.

Quick tips and tricks

• Have a roll of gaffer tape to hand and use it to tape the back of your Holga on, both to keep it from falling off and to also stop excess light leaks. You can also use it to tape down any setting buttons on both a Holga and Diana, as they shift very easily.
  
  
• Many Holga’s suffer from internal light reflection which can appear like a light leak. To fix this some users take the camera apart, mask off the lens and spray matte black paint inside. There are tutorials online for this but check first as your Holga may not have the issue.
  
  

• Both the Holga and Diana usually come with push in plastic film masks, so make sure you are aware which one is in. You can shoot without them or use masks that allow you to shoot over the sprocket holes, a look that you will either love or hate. However, many labs will not scan the sprocket holes, so check before sending a film in.
  
  
• Double and multiple exposures with these cameras are amazing. Play around and remember to have some kind of contrast or relation with the images you shoot this way.
  
  
• Beware of the shutter release lever, particularly on a Diana, it is easily pressed when you move the camera around. Also, try to remember how many shots you’ve taken, as the film counter is prone to slipping between modes.

Costs and practicalities

These days we have digital cameras and phones with apps that can mimic the look of retro film cameras, a look that a few years ago came back to popularity through Hipstagram and Instagram. Ironically these digital spoofs made plastic cameras popular once more!

It would be fair to say that although they are relatively cheap to buy, many of the plastic cameras on the market are probably a bit overpriced for what they are.

But either way, if you do like the look of the images, then they are a fun investment. You can also pick up a used one for the cost of a fancy coffee.

A few rolls of film may well cost you more than the camera, although this will also have the benefit of slowing you down, of forcing you to think about and consider whether to shoot an image or not, and to focus on the basics of photography.

This is something which has become a little lost in perfection and technology over the years, and for this alone it’s well worth the cost of a few films. ❂