Ironically, the disadvantages of lomography can be used as an advantage, and vice versa.

Light Leaks

Depending on who you’re talking to, light leaks can be a good thing or a bad thing. Some lomographers love their light leaks, while some despise them so much they tape the heck out of their camera.

On the plus side, light leaks do create trippy effects. They can transform mundane photos into otherworldly captures.

But then again, they can also ruin the photo. Examples are light leaks that get in the way of the subject, or even entirely ruin the whole photo.

Unpredictability

This is what makes lomography so fun–and so frustrating. Lomo cameras are highly unpredictable–like it has a life of its own. That’s why most of the beautiful lomo photos are ‘happy accidents’.

So if both a professional and a beginner in photography takes up lomography for the first time, both are likely equal in the field of lomography. Coming up with beautiful photos taken by toy cameras require you to understand your camera, develop a friendship with them and this understanding will take some time and practice.

Plastic lens

The lens is made out of plastic and not glass, so the lens is largely responsible for the quality of the images: vignettes, saturated colors, off hues, and the like.

The best way to learn about working with available light is by trying a lomography camera. These toy cameras work best in broad daylight, where it’s sunny and warm. Most lomography cameras work poorly indoors, cloudy or at night, except if you switch it to bulb mode or if you have flash.

Is Lomography worth it’s hype?

The Lomographic Society is criticized for their overpricing, one point saying that the company sells their cameras, film and equipment for far more than it’s worth. The LC-A is sold for aroud US $30, when the first lomographers bought it, but now they sell for around US $250.

The original Diana+ was sold for only US $1, but the new, updated version by Lomography sells for US $50.

Aside from Lomography, there are now recent companies that now sell toy cameras, often much, much, cheaper, like the Four Corner Store.

Love it or hate it, lomography is fun and addicting, and I still buy the cameras and the expensive film even if i know I’m being ripped off. So even if it’s an overpricing venture, they’re still making good money out of it.