@KNEEHIGH85 on Her Love for Experimental Film Photography and the Lomo LC-A 120

Lomographer Claire (@KNEEHIGH85) was an active Lomographer for many years, sharing her experimental film photos on her LomoHome and meeting fellow Lomographers with whom she is still friends today. After a hiatus, Claire recently started posting on her LomoHome again, showcasing years worth of photos taken with a mix of cameras including the Lomo LC-A 120. We welcome Claire back to the community and catch up on what she’s been up to!

Greetings! Can you introduce yourself and tell us how you started your analogue journey?

Hello, my name is Claire and I am a 38-year-old Lomographer from Leeds in the north of England. I didn’t really start an analogue journey so much, being born in the mid-80s means analogue is all that I had growing up! I got my first digital camera to go travelling in 2004 but I left it on a train on day 1 and I couldn’t afford to replace this so I bought the cheapest analogue camera I could find – a Fuji Nexia Q1 APS camera! I used this all over Europe and even though APS film was a bit of a strange novelty, I loved getting my photos developed later on and remembering the good times I had. I kept using this camera through my three years at university and I actually haven’t ever owned a digital camera since (other than on my phone!) I had a couple of Lomography cameras such as the Fisheye and Diana back in 2008 but when I visited the Lomography shop in Berlin in March 2010, I picked up a Diana Mini and haven’t looked back. I have collected cameras ever since.

How would you describe your style of photography?

I am definitely experimental. I am not really a particularly artsy person so composition and things are not my strong points. I think that’s why I love Lomography and the whole “shoot from the hip” ethos because some of my best photos haven’t worked out exactly how I planned but they’ve been a success regardless. I like to shoot anything bright and colourful – and I love places that I am seeing for the first time, that’s why I like to travel so much.

What kind of gear do you mostly use?

This really varies and I tend to go through phases a lot of the time. At the moment and on my most recent trip to Malta and Gozo I used my Lomo Instant Square a lot because this camera is really so sharp and I love the square format. I also love the more unusual films like the LomoChrome range as they can make even the more boring subjects really unusual and exciting.

According to your LomoHome you've been taking film photos since at least 2005 and were very active on Lomography during the 2010s. Can you tell us more about this time and your experiences?

During the 2010s both myself and my partner at the time met a lot of friends through the Lomography website and I was visiting the Manchester Lomography store on a weekly basis to do odd bits of work and promotion for them. We used to arrange photo walks and meetups so a lot of my photos from that time include these events – I am still friends with several of these people today.

Recently you started posting photos again from recent years. What made you decide to start posting again?

I know a lot of photographers who are active on Instagram who have accounts dedicated solely to their film photographs and I had been toying with the idea of doing that myself. But then I remembered that I do in fact have a dedicated account on Lomography so I decided to use this instead and engage more with the analogue community there. I had actually forgotten how much I enjoy reading the magazine, looking through competitions and chatting to other lomographers.

I tend to post a selection of analogue photos on Instagram as soon as I get them developed but I didn’t have an iPad or a laptop for a while so I felt I couldn’t really organise my photos as easily as I wanted to, meaning my Lomohome was quiet and neglected for a long time. I got a new iPad and all the photos I had developed were neatly downloaded into albums from the cloud so I decided to upload them in chronological order to my Lomohome as I always used to. I still have a fair few to do but I am getting there now and intend to upload more consistently moving forward.

Your recent uploads have mostly been shot with the Lomo LC-A 120. What do you like about this camera?

The LCA-120 became a firm favourite of mine as soon as I picked it up for the first time. I have always been a fan of medium format film but I don’t think I have found a camera that suits me until this one. The LC-A+ and Lomo LC-Wide have been some of my favourite cameras for a long time so it makes sense that this would be a big hit for me. The glass lens is so sharp and the fact that you have a wide angle means you can capture so so much on each square which I am a huge fan of. It’s also super small and compact for a 120 camera meaning you can take it anywhere.

Do you have any tips or tricks for using this camera?

My main tip is that I think the viewfinder tends to underestimate how wide the lens actually is, so I tend to always take several steps forward before I take a shot. I also think it is easy to forget to experiment with it so don’t forget to take the long exposures and the multiple exposures with it, as it is so versatile and the shots come out great.

Besides the Lomo LC-A 120, what other cameras have you been using?

Today I finished up a few rolls from my recent trip to Germany, so I had a Holga 135BC which I haven’t used for a long time, my trusty Lomo LC-Wide which is another real favourite of mine and a Diana which I also haven’t used in such a long time. I am excited to see how these turn out.

Do you have any advice you want to give to the rest of the community?

Definitely try to have as much fun as you can with Lomography and analogue photography. Some of my best memories of the places I have been and the people I have met have been through the analogue photos I have of those times and I wouldn’t change that for anything. Oh – and don’t stop posting for years because you really miss the lovely Lomo community!