Lomo Therapy (Or How Lomography Saved My Life)

I first heard about lomography three years ago from my friends, but it was only in February this year when I finally decided to give it a try out of curiosity, or perhaps I was too bored working at home and doing repetitive tasks every day. I needed a creative, productive outlet to break the monotony and release my existential angsts and other frustrations.

My first lomo camera was a Holga CFN. A friend of mine recommended it to me, saying that it’s the perfect plastic camera to play around with for novice lomographers. After shooting my first roll (Holgaga (First Roll)), I instantly fell in love with it. I was in awe when I saw how beautiful, vivid and painterly my shots turned out. Shooting with my Holga for the first time (Things I Learned from Using Holga CFN for the First Time) urged me to embark on more lomo adventures.

From then on, I promised myself to make it a hobby and part of my backpacking adventures and other escapades. I guess it’s never too late to renew your passion, and thankfully, I did. So I started collecting film cameras, documenting all my trips and writing articles. Whatever piggies I earned were spent either on buying films and new cameras.

Then came that fateful month of April. I had a “freak accident” and broke my right clavicle (Clavicle X-rays). I had to undergo a metal pin surgery to fuse the fractured bones. The accident happened at the time when I just started to get hooked on lomography. But my injury didn’t stop me from taking photos, even if I was wearing a sling. I just needed someone to load the film. My left hand could still manage to snap and click on the shutter.

In fact, a month before my operation in June, I even managed to travel overseas and visit Hong Kong (yes, with a broken clavicle!), and part of our itinerary was visiting the Lomography Gallery Store (Lomography Gallery Store Hong Kong) in Sheung Wan where I bought a Diana Mini.

Fast forward to June 2, 2010 – the day of my pin surgery. The operation went well, and luckily, I was discharged from the hospital the next day. There’s no complication whatsoever, thank God.

And here’s the wonderful part. First thing I did when I got back home was to go online and check my lomography page. I was so shocked to find out that I was awarded Lomo Home of the Day (LHOTD). Such a pleasant surprise! My first award, right after my successful operation…fantastic! Below is the featured photo of my first-ever award.

During the agonizing two-month recovery period, lomography became part of my therapy. I got more addicted and passionate about it, primarily because I wasn’t allowed to make any strenuous movement; I couldn’t walk outside and got nothing much to do at home. My parents and my siblings, and almost everything around the house became my usual subjects during my recuperation. Taking personal snapshots, to a certain degree, became my way of diverting or dealing with the pain and the ordeal of being immobile.

It was only after two long months and a series of range of motion therapy sessions that I finally got to go outside and decided to revisit some of my favorite, nostalgic places. The accident made me appreciate life even more. I realized that there’s more out there to see, explore, enjoy, laugh about, and love, and lomography helped me document all those precious, priceless moments.

Today, I’m a lomo addict and constantly trying to live life to the fullest. So far, I have written 30+ articles and uploaded almost two thousand photos. My camera collection has also ballooned tremendously, now totalling to 12, and I’m planning to collect more in the future. Yesterday, I ordered an L-CA+. My Christmas wish has finally come true. Woohoo!

Thank you LSI for being part of my therapy and recovery! You guys are a lifesaver!

written by antibiotyx on 2010-12-03