Finding Lomography

My first Lomography camera was a gift; the next one, an online purchase. Over the years they’ve given me immense joy (and frustration) but I’ve always wondered what it’s like to enter a real, authentic Lomography store. I’d seen photos online and they all looked like candy stores in that you simply couldn’t leave without buying something, anything.

The Lomo craze has especially heightened over the past years with the availability of cameras and paraphernalia in Team Manila, Fully Booked, and Cubao Expo shops. I think it’s great that the products are more accessible now but I still think there’s no greater joy than buying your Lomography camera in person, at a Lomography store.   

Well, I finally realized this “dream” a few days ago when I got to step inside one!

What made this visit more special was the fact that I didn’t know there was a Lomography store at this mall. It was my mum who told me about it. I didn’t believe it at first but then she described the walls of the shop as covered in photographs so I knew it was the real thing!

I felt like a kid in a candy store. It was a relatively small shop but how could you not take your eyes off the spectacular mosaic of lomographs? The wall on the right was covered in pictures of predominantly warm hues; the other wall, cooler hues.

Gratuitous!

I was too excited to properly take pictures of the main merchandise displayed on a geometric shelf at the center of the shop. On the countertop there were different types of film, books, photo albums, and cute Lomo keychains. Bags and shirts were also displayed beside the counter. Actually, everything you see on the online shop was there! (Well duh, it IS a Lomography store.)

Of course I wasn’t planning to buy a camera this day but I WAS going to ask my friends who are going to Singapore this month to buy me one. Essentially, this purchase was already predetermined. So which Lomography camera did I get?

A Holga!!!

A Holga 135 Black Corner to be exact. One day I will commit myself to a camera that uses medium format film but my comfort zone really is 35mm! This 35mm Holga has been in my wishlist for years and I am just pleased as punch to have it in my possession now! Well, technically, this wasn’t the exact Holga in my wishlist. I know about the vignetting effect in Holga pictures but I didn’t know about this “black corner” version (because there’s that and your regular 35mm Holga). This Holga wasn’t available the last time I checked at Team Manila so you can just imagine my glee when I found this tucked inside the lower shelf in the Lomography store! I didn’t even care for this “black corner” sh!t, I just knew I was going to leave the shop with this 35mm Holga in my hands.

And now I have it!