Katya's supersampling

Photography by James Metcalfe

A photograph is more than just

A gift to bring or send.

And more than just the likeness of

A relative or friend.

It is a kindly greeting and

A memory to hold.

Of happy times and pleasant things.

However new or old.

(...)

As you know by now, I love photography. I have taken many digital photos and lately have discovered the specific beauty that analog photography, and more specific, photography with 'toy cameras' can be. I started importing Lomography cameras and old, vintage toy cameras, into Bulgaria because as with all things you like, they're not the same if you can't share your feelings about them with someone. As far as I know no-one is offering them yet here. What I aimed for is to have a group of like-minded enthusiasts. It would make this kind of photography more easier as it would save a lot of explaining at the place where we develop our films that they are supposed to look that way: cross processed, slight light leaks, or four times (almost) the same photo in a row. As I have only started doing this a few weeks ago, and we are not yet at the stage where a lot of word-of-mouth is spreading the love for lomo, we are still a very modest bunch of people (in size only, I guarantee you). And we keep explaining to the guys and girls at the photolabs what it is that we seek in a good photo.

This may now all change, as the first beautiful results from a Lomo Supersampler that only recently arrived in Sofia have seen the light. Ekaterina Piskyuleva took all her pictures on the first day with her new friend, a handsome pearl-coloured Supersampler. The photos in this post are hers. It was an extremely hot day in Sofia, the beginning of a short heat wave. I personally would have stayed inside, windows and curtains closed. But Katya's enthusiasm knew no limits. There she went, on a long and adventurous walk, holding on tight to her Supersampler. As she started walking, she took pictures of life around her: pedestrians, cars, buildings, street signs, and her own feet and shade.

The results are great. Lomo is, after all, first and foremost about shooting life. It is not about taking that standard portret that is only interesting to the person in the photo him or herself. Life as seen by Lomo, or in this case, as seen by Katya, becomes more interesting. All these photos tell their very own story. They add something to what is happening, or they slightly shift our focus so that we see things we otherwise would not have noticed.

Accidents in other forms of photography would mean the photo is a failure. To be discarded. With lomo they become happy accidents. That slight light leak turns the world into that romantic place it supposedly once was. 'Shooting from the hip' means we literally see things from a different angle. Lomo broadens our horizon.

I am impatient to see more Supersampler work and urge Katya to continue. I have heard trowing your camera in the air gives great results, however the warranty does not cover any damages as a result of this high form of creativity! Also, I hope that these great photos open the eyes of other people. So that our modest Bulgarian lomo group will become less and less modest. And we can begin to turn this country into a more adventurous place!

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To be continued with more great work from this and other Bulgarian lomo pioneers!