It’s a way of photographing without boundaries, but it has some rules: and the brief idea of them is to have no rules at all. Confused? Well, don’t be. This is just the beginning of the concept. Lomography is a vast world and you can travel to that destination, be fascinated with their products and surrender to this kind of reinvented art.
The Lomography store in Porto, called Lomography Embassy Store is like a hymn to analogue photography. The place is located on Rua do Almada, a street full of interest places, like coffees, hotels and other peculiar stores. In downtown Porto, the camera tools are explored and at a first sight you might think you are at a soviet place: the cameras are a heritage from the Russia of the 80s.
If you are passionate about free rule photography this is certainly a place to add to your “to do list” during your stay in Porto. The walls are covered by photographs and those records make an explosion of colors effect that give a lot of life to the store. From pink to red, from green to transparent, every color of the spectrum seems to be represented on cameras. The main and only corridor leads to a journey around the different models displayed on shelves.
During this expedition, you may feel some strange material beneath your feet: an old tram trail is still alive on the floor, finishing at the dark room where parties, workshops and cinema sessions mark the calendar with a dynamic culture life. Sharing the place there’s also Louie Louie: boxes full of old vinyl material and good music, marking the chords of the analogue rhythm.
Lomo photo over D. Luis Bridge, in Porto
Lomographic cameras, accessories, film, lenses, bags: everything is lomographic-related and cultural attractive. If you’re a fan without a camera start with a cheap one: an Action Sampler, for just 29€: it is quite simple to use and the result is always surprising. If you’re already a regular buyer, explore the available limited editions, buy a different lens for your Diana F+ or just renew your film stock. If your budget is low, take home a keychain with a camera format for 4,90€, a fisheye frame for 9€ or a horizon Lomography book for 15€: too cute to resist.
Even if you don’t buy anything you will not leave the embassy empty handed: the analogue experience and the will to belong to this community can follow you. As they say: “don’t think, just shoot” or in this case “don’t think, just went there”.