The good thing is (or rather, was) not necessarily to be looked for in the result. We have to look beyond the photograph, framed or stuck in an album.
The good thing was in the approach to the, a, medium. The idea that you do not have to be formal about it, that you do not have to be a slave to the medium, but can make the medium a slave to you.
That all went horribly awry when Lomography started putting demands on us again. Now, we apparently have to buy that way too expensive camera again.
If only people understood that the cameras like the Lomo et al. were used, not because they were a Lomo, Lubitel, Holga or Diana, but because these things were cheap, so you had no reason to worry about the camera. That they were crap too was a coincidental (though not entirely unexpected) 'side effect'. But who was bothered by that?
Now they want to make us believe that we have to buy those crappy cameras, because they are crap, for amounts of money that at best are laughable.
The end result is that people having any dealings with Lomography, by virtue of that alone, are doing anything but Lomography. They quite obviously do not understand the entire thing.
Worrying about the result, demanding, or even judging, that it either be good, or bad, or anything in between, again is making the photographer the hostage of rules and regulations.
Again very much not (!) Lomography.
As far as the industry is concerned: it is definitely not good that cameras like the Lubitel (i remember those from when they could be bought from the few shops that imported goods from behind the iron curtain, for what they were really worth: next to nothing) are being traded for too much money. Money that could have been spend supporting the parts of the industry that really do deserve our support instead.
As far as film is concerned, we mustn't fool ourselves (again). The present day Lomography thing is small (the original one was too), Too small to have any effect, except on the purse of the shop that has assumed the Lomography identity to part suckers from their money.
. It does do a good job for what it is, though I do wish the 35mm version was cheaper than the 120 version. I'd prefer 36 snapshots just so I dont have to change film as often. Maybe a 220 Holga should be released... (or is there already a 220 holga? I really dont keep up with the whole Holga/Lomo thing)
