Alien Camera!

Port Townsend, today. Some time ago I saw photographs taken with an inexpensive little analog camera from China - the cheeky little Holga. The cheap plastic lens yielded images with unpredictable results.

The Holga has taken on a life of it's own. So much so, that "plug-ins" are now available for Photoshop and other image processing programs, for people with first cabin cameras, who want to replicate the "artsy craftsy" output by Holga.

But hang on Holga! Another group of off beat analog cameras has come to my attention, such as the "alien camera" with nine lenses, our featured post photo.

I got in touch with one of the guru's in the Lomography Movement, Jamie Mandel, Public & Media Relations Manager for Lomography, who explained,

"Lomography is a global community, whose strong passion is creative and experimental analogue film photography."

Immediately, I thought about getting one, and flooding the prestigious railroad picture web site with output, to see what reasons the screeners would have, for example, nixing a roster shot (3/4 view) of a BNSF locomotive, in a nine segment frame, taken by the "Pop 9" at the top of the page:

Lomography has its own version of the ubiquitous pin hole camera, a pinhole camera in a can!

Who remembers the thrill of making your first pinhole camera when you were in Cub Scouts? And actually making a print, moving you ever closer to the coveted Photography Badge.

I'm partial to panorama cameras. If you have ever priced one, you will appreciate the inexpensive "Sprocket Rocket" panorama camera.

If you are willing to work with the idiosyncrasies of Lomography, you may enjoy shooting with this camera!

Practitioners of Lomography have formed groups, like this one in Seattle, for sharing the Lomography experience!

There are dozens of "unique" and interesting cameras, including panorama, fish eye and even Holga's, on their web site, Lomography, in New York City. Let Jamie know you stopped by!

"Thanks" to Jamie for allowing us to share this interesting experience with Oil-Electric.

If you are "in the closet" and have taken rail photos with one of these "left of center" cameras, why "come out" and share them with us!

Photo credits: Lomography, New York.