I’ve written about Lomography once before (if you have no idea what I’m on about, you’ll probably wanna have a peek at that post first), and briefly talked about what it is, how it works, and how there seem to be a huge bunch of nutters who love the art-form (I’m one of ‘em).

The question that remained, though, is ‘how can a camera allow you to take special photos’? After all, all cameras adhere to the same laws of physics and optics – so how do Lomo photos manage to look so distinctive and different?

Well, basically, a Lomo camera is just a really crappy camera. The point is, however, that it is supposed to be unbelievably low quality. The upside is that the quality flaws of the Lomo are rather predictable – which is what gives them their special look.

I was going to rant on about this at length, only to be pointed to an excellent article by Nicos, where it’s all covered:

Fundamentally, the answer is “it isn’t physically different”. The physical principles of photography are essentially invariable, regardless of camera type. Like goes into a box through a hole and prints a pattern on a photosensitive material. (or sensor) A shoebox with a hole on one side, a lomo, a disposable camera, an SLR and a digital point-and-shoot, all share this same basic model of operation.

Read the whole piece over on Travel Photography Blog!

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