In 1982 a phenomenon began in St Petersburg. On examining a Japanese compact camera called the Cosina CX-1, an engineer at the Leningrad Optics & Mechanics Amalgamation saw a compact automatic format which could provide to the masses a reliable workhorse for everyday photography. An order was given that an improved copy should be produced on mass for the Soviet peoples snapshooting pleasure. With greater potential of a sharp glass lens developed by Professor Radionov as well as an extremely high light sensitivity and robust casing the LOMO LC-A was born. Within a year the camera quickly found its way into the hearts and camera pouches of the enthusiastic proletariat in Communist states such as Ukraine and Czechoslovakia and even as far as Cuba and China. After a ramp in production there were 1200 people working solely on production of the LC-A, 500 of whom were assemblers.

Fast forward to 1991 and two Austrian marketing students are holidaying in a newly liberated Czech republic and bought a camera in Prague as they forgot to take one with them. Their eye fell on a certain 35mm compact produced in the Soviet Union. They bought it, experimented with it, hyped it… By this time the LC-A’s market share had been weakened by flashy imports from Asia and production was grinding to a halt. Being marketing students, they kept tight control over their hype as it developed – founded the “LOMOgraphic society” to preach their gospel and made a deal with LOMO to become the sole worldwide dealers of the LC-A. To find a solution to the ever-expanding demand and diminishing supply of the LC-A, the marketeers travelled to the LOMO Optics factory in St. Petersburg. The society heads managed to convince the factory heads (and Vladimir Putin – Vice Mayor of St. Petersburg at the time) to begin full production of the camera once again.

The marketing students started a genre of photography built around the LC-A – LOMOgraphy. They orchestrated get-togethers and happenings at trendy places. They started a website early on while the web was still fresh. They made sure every LOMOgrapher passed through their society. And all the time with cash flowing in. They currently charge €250 euros for the basic model, a large markup on what is essentially very simple technology. Similar products, with similar results (genuine Soviet cameras included) can be found for less than half the price. LOMOgraphy is a profitable business, making money on everybody’s desire to be part of the in-crowd. The LOMOgraphy company has branched out to include clothing, hip gallery stores and the aforementioned parties and get-togethers. More and more it’s encapsulating it’s customers with a prefab lifestyle of which it is the only supplier with an admission fee of €250.

The intent of LOMOgraphy is to let go the burdens of traditional photography, to capture life as it is, spontaneous and from the hip. To be wild, young and free. To translate freedom into pictures. It’s not a bad philosophy, but it can lead to pictures being shot with the least possible brains in order to impress others with said spontaneity. When a philosophy becomes less of an ideal and more of a business it inevitably loses its shine. Among some photographers, LOMOgraphy has become a byword for debasing of their craft, a synonym for bad pictures, for seeing things that are not there and labeling everything art.

In 2005 the LOMO optical factory ceased all production of the LC-A camera. Their overall production had become more specific and high-tech to optical instruments such as gunsights and microscopes. Perhaps they didn’t want the insinuation that they were associated to lo-fi, low tech photography. The LOMO LC-A+ is now made-in-China, but according to it’s makers, delivers 98% the same results as its original.

Despite the undeniable guilelessness of the photographs it can produce, as well as the product’s usability and universal intentions – everybody can be a LOMOgrapher and with some practice everybody can do it well – it’s very democratic. As much as LOMOgraphy can claim to be beyond the realm of traditional photography, it remains photography nonetheless. LOMOgraphy is special because it is very individual but it takes no specialist skill. It plays on the notion that everyone is special, even if we are all alike – selling exclusivity, but with the whole world as their market. It’s only business, after all.

Be sure to check out the galleries on the official website.