WHEN MY friends started getting into Lomography, I was extremely jealous because each weekend trip/party looked so much more fun seen through the eye of a light-leaky toy camera.
With each successive album upload of oversaturated, artsy-blurry, awesome photos, I vowed that I too, would have kickass Lomo albums in my site.
Except Lomo cameras use film.
While I know that part of its allure is the Cracker Jack box mystery of not knowing what toy is inside, I, unfortunately, have the patience of a fly.
I am a person who is so impatient that I have driven to Novaliches at 11:30 p.m. to pick up an item from a Multiply seller rather than wait the three days for my bank payment to clear, send the item via courier and arrive at my door. Three days? That?s an eternity. (Yeah, I?d have totally failed that marshmallow test, too).
Compromise
No way am I going to wait to finish a roll of film, bring it to a developer and have it cross-processed. I?d go nuts with all the waiting.
So, when a friend showed me her new Illusion Lens, I hit upon a compromise.
Illusion Lenses are tiny little plastic toy lenses that you can attach to your phone?s camera or point-and-shoot digicam to achieve Lomo-like effects. It comes in 10 different varieties which produce different looks for your photos.
The lenses piggyback onto your camera?s lens using a clear, gummy adhesive (similar to the sticky hand toys that used to drive our mothers crazy when it left marks against her nice walls). It?s very easy to use, adds more oomph to your photos and it makes for a cute and functional mobile phone charm.
Some of my favorites are Spark (creates twinkling star effects, ideal for parties at night), Starburst & Vignette to add a dreamy haze to photos, 3 image mirage (turn any dog into Fluffy, the three-headed guardian of the Sorcerer?s Stone) and the 6 image mirage (like scary beer goggles).
Illusion Lens are available for P200 each at National Bookstore branches, Powerbooks, Fully Booked and other select stores. For more info, please visit: http://illusionlens.multiply.com.
