Lomographer Uncle Jay Shares His Thoughts on the LC-A+

Jesse Sie is a veteran Lomographer from Singapore who goes by the handle @uncle_jay. He had a quick chat with us about his Lomography camera of choice — the LC-A+ Russia Day Edition.

How did you become a Lomographer?

I grew up before the days of digital cameras. I’ve been shooting film since the mid-1980s as a teenager. I finally switched to digital photography in 2004 after missing a ‘key’ shot during my honeymoon. With the affordability of digital compact cameras, it was an economically logical decision to switch.

My return to film photography was triggered by the Blackbird Fly toy camera. It made my heart beat faster the moment I laid eyes on it. Of course, I have to blame Lomography too. Looking at all the photos posted on the Lomography website, I discovered that I liked cross-processed and red-scaled photos, which was something that I’ve not done before. That's how I got back into film photography.

So yes, you could say that I am someone Brian Auer would call an Old School Film Revert; a pre-digital film shooter that shot film, then digital, and then film again. Even so, I do use my camera phone quite a fair bit too.

I wrote something about rediscovering why I became a Lomographer. Read the 8 reasons why I am still shooting film at here.

Really interesting narrative on your experience with the LC-A+ Russia Day. Can you share with us which kinds of shoot/project you usually take the camera for?

The LC-A+ Russia Day is currently the main travel camera that I use for film speeds of 100 or faster. I also tend to shoot slide films to cross-process with this camera because of its unpredictable results.

The second camera that I carry with me during my travels is the Olympus XA (or XA3). I tend to use the Olympus camera for shooting slower speed films or when I want to shoot at ISO25 with my red-scaled films.

Both cameras are compact and quick to load up. With the ISO ranges offered, they complement each other well. And when you're traveling, it's good to back-up camera.

Any favorite photos from the LC-A+ shoot? Why are they your faves?

One photo excited me. Not because it was well-composed nor was it something unique, but rather it's the 'look' that opened another world of possibilities for my film photography experiments and learning journey.

This is the photo that stopped me in my tracks — no pun intended:

Any tips about using the LC-A+ Russia Day?

Just three tips:

• First, this camera is flashy. Red attracts attention, it’s not exactly a stealthy camera. If you are a self-conscious photographer, you may want to use it in a touristy area, or in a place where people are so used to seeing cameras of all shapes and colours.

• Second, whether you wear glasses or not, be careful when looking through the viewfinder, the Russia Day emblem at the back of the camera can scratch your face or glasses.

• Third, as much as the Italian red goat leather seems to offer a good grip, use a camera hand-strap when shooting with this camera. Don't risk dropping the limited edition camera.

We also saw your very interesting work with various films. Do you mind sharing with the community your favorite album from your LomoHome?

I don't have a favourite album in particular. Each album holds special memories of the moment as my photography motto is 'I see...I like...I shoot...". So it's rather hard to say which online album is my favourite as every album has a story to tell.

At the point of this interview, there is one album of mine seems to be getting a lot of likes by the community. Check it out at here.

Anything you want to say to Lomographers out there?

Have fun shooting film. And for the Old School Film Reverts reading this, remember, age is just a number - you're never too old to still shoot film.

Thanks for the chat, @uncle_jay!

Give Jesse some Lomo love and check out his LomoHome: @uncle_jay.

2019-11-20