Community Member @lalomixu’s First Impressions With the LomoApparat

Since its release last year there has been quite a hype around the LomoApparat in the community and photos taken with the compact camera continue to pour in from different parts of the globe.

One of our community members who has recently shot with the LomoApparat is Eduardo Espinoza Chávez, a.k.a. @lalomixu, who we featured as a newcomer back in in 2018.

For his first roll with the LomoApparat, Eduardo tried it out in various environments including a few outdoor events in his home country of Mexico. Let's dive into his first impressions using the LomoApparat, which he shot with the Kosmo Foto Agent Shadow 400 and scanned with the Digitaliza 35 mm Scanning Mask.

Hi and welcome back to the magazine! Can you tell us a bit more about yourself?

Hello, my name is Eduardo Espinoza Chávez, @lalomixu on social networks. I am 32 years old and I am the co-creator of filmindreams where we sell cameras, films and products related to analogue photography. We also offer developing services.

My love for photographic film was born when I worked in a cinema in the projection area, having physical contact with the film blew my mind. Then on Tumblr I saw 3D gifs and I began to investigate until I saw that they were made with analogue cameras. That's when I got my first analogue camera, the Nishika N9000, later among the family items came a Yashica Electro 35 GX that I started using.

I keep shooting with film because I really enjoy the whole process – waiting days, weeks or months to see the result. Experimenting in a more organic way, far from the presets that technology offers today, is a good challenge for me.

Aside from the LomoApparat, what's your current film photography gear composed of? Any favorite cameras and film stocks?

I have many cameras, mostly 35 mm Point-and-shoot plastic fantastic, from La Sardina, Diana F+, LomoKino, BlackBird Fly, Nishika, to disposables and instant cameras. But the ones I normally use are a Canon EOS Rebel G and Lomo LC-A+ sometimes with filters and splitzers.

As for the film, I am not demanding. I can use expired rolls, in color or black and white, and movie film. I like to experiment with them, from film soup, to double exposure, redscale, or burning negatives. But if I could only have two I would stick with the LomoChrome Purple and Kodak T-Max P3200.

How was your experience shooting the LomoApparat? Was this album the first time you used it?

Yes, that was the first time I've used it. It caught my attention since it was announced. As I mentioned, I use the Canon EOS Rebel G and Lomo LC-A+ a lot, sometimes with multi-image and splitzer filters, and the LomoApparat offered both options.

In addition to its beautiful design, it's very easy to operate. It comes with a built-in flash and a lot of color gels, although I haven't shot color with it yet, I hope to use those gels soon.

Can you tell us more about these photos? Which places did you take the LomoApparat to?

Most of the roll was in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico where my dad is from. There was a party those days and I wanted to try it there with the atmosphere of a town fair and the landscapes that the place offers.

The rest are photos of a couple of friends. We were having a good time. I had a couple more cameras but I didn't want to miss out on the opportunity to photograph them with this new camera.

I also took the opportunity to visit a small installation they did in the city based on the series "The Last Of Us". And finally some close-up portraits of my pets and me.

Any favorite photos among the bunch?

I have several favorite photos from this album. A landscape with a small lake, the photo of "the infected" where a little light filtered through, and the photo of the dachshund with the multi-image filter. It gives it a very crazy effect.

What's the most exciting feature of the LomoApparat for you? And is there anything you would change about the camera? Maybe a feature you would remove or add?

Without a doubt, the kaleidoscope filter is a great success in this camera. Perhaps what I did not like is that when using the splitzer it obstructs the viewfinder. It is part of the experimentation, but I would have liked to have vision in that part to have a better control of the final photograph.

Any advice for other LomoApparat users or those planning to try the camera out?

My advice would be to choose the ISO you are going to use well and work accordingly. Since it is a point-and-shoot camera without an exposure meter it depends a lot on the light conditions you have at the time of shooting. Use all the filters that the camera has and have a lot of fun in the process.

You also used the Digitaliza 35 mm Scanning Mask to scan the negatives! How was your experience with the scanning kit?

Yes, I used it because it was very particular to me that there will be a small peak outside the frame that makes up the image. Although not all the letters and numbers of the negative can come out, I enjoy seeing the holes in the film.

We thank @lalomixu for being part of the community! To keep in touch, visit his LomoHome or Instagram page.

written by sylvann on 2023-04-25 #gear #people #mexico #wide-angle #kaleidoscope #digitaliza #first-impressions #lomoapparat