Lomography began in 1991, when the Austrian founders of Lomography discovered the original Russian Lomo Kompakt Automat. When they started mindlessly taking shots from the hip, seldom looking through the viewfinder, they found they were "charmed by the unique, colorful, and sometimes blurry" images that the camera produced. Soon the word spread and everyone wanted one. This is how this new style of experimental photography called Lomography started.
Lomography signed an exclusive distribution agreement with LOMO PLC - the largest optical manufacturer in Russia - and achieved to become the sole distributor of all Lomo Kompakt Automat cameras outside of the Soviet Union. Since then, Lomography has marketed various lines of branded analogue, single effect, cameras. Between 2005 and 2007, the original Russian Lomo LC-A that was fully manufactured by LOMO PCL was replaced by the LC-A+.Similar to Eastman Kodak's concept of the "Kodak moment", the Lomography website endorses a motto of "Don't Think, Just Shoot" accompanied by the Ten Golden Rules of Lomography; guidelines encouraging spontaneity and minimal consideration of formal technique.
Lomography is also a lifestyle for many of its followers. It's a community that's quite large, creative and productive around the world.
Visit the Lomography store in NYC.
One of the essential factors of lomography are the infinte results one can obtain combining different types of cameras, lenses, color filters for flash and lenses, development processes, Cross-Processing that result in unpredictable and isually impactng works.
If you're interested in reproducing these effects on video, you can try Lomokino The 35mm Movie Camera From Lomography.