Lomography is the New Photography, Stop Motion Animation

Images in flip books and stop motion animation flicker in front of the eye. When done well they create mysterious moments of whimsy that more sleek and perfectly formatted techniques cannot capture. So what happens when a group of photographers with a a penchant for old-school cameras and celluloid get together to create a community around their their art? If they’re talented with eyes for movement, they can create magic.

Dedicated to the world of analogue photography, lomography enthusiasts can be found all over the world. Their golden rules include: take your camera everywhere you go, use it anytime day or night, try to shoot from the hip, don’t think, be fast, and to not worry about any golden rules.

When it comes to group projects, lomographers are a crafty crew. Every Lomography gallery houses a giant tiled collage of lomo images and other exhibits that fill the space with something fun to see at every turn. Check the website of any lomography store and find a calendar of activities: lomowalks, analogue printmaking, parties, and photos safaris.

But maybe no other format celebrates lomography with more enthusiasm than when a group of photographers set out to shoot a LomoMatrix video. The combinations of analogue images combined with stop motion turns these photo stunts into mesmerizingly fun moving pictures.

Lindsay Hutchens, manager of the Los Angeles Lomography Gallery, describe the process of creating a LomoMatrix, “The photographers sit in a circle. People take turns going into the center of the circle to make movement that everyone captures from different angles. The photos are then scanned and animated with iMovie or Final Cut. Each video has a choppy, flip book style.” Hutchens adds, “LomoMatrix videos are a fun interactive community activity. We hope to do one soon in Los Angeles.”

Hutchens sent us a link to the amazing Lomo Caterpillar shot in London. Twenty photographers walked through the streets of Soho using cameras with different types of films. Their video features a circle segment and a charming final bow.

To find more LomoMatrix and other lomography based video projects, the Lomographic Society has a YouTube Channel. But only visit it if you have several minutes to spare. It’s addicting.

Watching LomoMatrix videos made around the world may just inspire a trip to the Lomography store to pick up a camera and set up a shoot with fellow lomographers. And if you’re not insipired by what you’ve seen already, this next video should do the trick.

With more than a million hits since he uploaded his video 500 People in 100 Seconds to YouTube on August 23, 2011, Eran Amir is quickly becoming a sensation. Shot in Israel, his 500 people hold up more than 1,500 developed pictures creating a stop-motion animated video inside a stop motion animated video.

The possibilities of finding creative ways to incorporating lomography into video are only limited by the imagination of the photographer. Pick up your camera today.