Lomography: Diana and Bamboo

Photography was a passion in my youth and now, 30 plus years later, it is has become so again. Every morning I awake with a quiet burning to see, record and create another image. It's very much like reconnecting with your long-lost first love and then, when you meet again, the years melt away and those old feelings return as strong as ever. (Or so they say, that's never happened to me :D)

When I started out those many years ago it was with a Kodak Instamatic, which I quickly came to believe was very limiting, and soon graduated to a Nikon. Maturity, experience and growth taught me that the camera, much like a painter's brush and canvas, is but a tool to use to present an end result, a vision created in the mind's eye. Granted a better tool helps form a more perfect image, but the vision has to be there in the first place.

With that said, I am not about to sit here and say that I have a grand vision and that I am a master of the craft, because I don't and I'm not. I am constantly in awe of the beautiful images produced by the people on this site, and I feel quite small in their presence. There are some breathtaking photos shared here that are stunning both technically and creatively, and all I can say is I hope to achieve that someday.

My Nikon, regrettably, is dead. I originally thought to write "unfortunately" rather than "regrettably", but then thought that it is not so unfortunate, after all, because I'm back to using simple cameras, albeit digital ones, which is forcing me to focus on the vision. Today's "simple" digital cameras are really quite sophisticated, and the iPhone camera in the hands of some of my new friends such as Arete and PolaroidBlips, has enabled these artists to produce some stunning images. I tip my hat to all the great ones here, and I learn from you.

I've been enjoying experimenting with the Diana camera look with it's soft focus, vignette edges and not always in balance colors. Of course I plan to get a real Diana soon, can't wait!

To see some of my other Diana-look photos, click here (and here for a black and white version) and here.