Our Lomography Summer - Part II

So, for the second part of the grand summer tour through the Mini-Diana lomography lens! :)

First off - the absolute winner of the whole film! Portraits of Izzy and I with a green and purple flash shot over each other! This wasn't even done on purposes, we were bummed when we realised we'd shot them over each other, but actually the result couldn't have been more fabulous!

Also turns out this lomography malarkey does wonders for your skin, I don't think we've ever looked so flawless! :p

Helloooo miss model! Beautiful Isabel under a pink glaze looking like a seventies muse.

Next off we have Cherry and Vanessa's first day trip to a British beach. Full of all the things you'd typically associate with it - wind, rain, scampi and chips and a British determination to actually swim! Most remarkably it looks like we even had a spot of sunshine at some point!

A soft focus New York including a donught brekkie in Brooklyn with a view back over the Hudson and Manhattan, the view from the highline and the East Village street where our apartment was. It's like they've got hazy with time, like happy memories! :)

Finally, a walk along the marina into the sunset in Ibiza Town on our the last night on the party Isle. Saying goodbye to Ibiza. An apt end to this film!

If you liked these you can see some of our other Lomography adventures in the following previous posts:
Our Lomography Summer - Part I
The Lomo experiment No. 1
My Mini-Diana

Mx

Our Lomography Summer - Part I

The experiment continues. And we can most definitely call it that - the results are quite clearly experimental! This is how the latest batch of lomography photos we've turned out. Some are gentle and soft others are vibrant and dynamic. And I love them all! :)

My favourite part of getting real film photos developed is how you get memories of a whole summer on one film. With photography being so instant these days, we need to remember to look back and reminisce. I'm usually too busy thinking about the next photo I want to take and instagram! (#knickerelasticfantastic) :p So to walking out of shop with my latest haul of printed film photos and reminisce over the last six months is so great! Needless to say, no filters here!

These first photos almost have a soft focus feel about them. I love the haze of summer they portray and the suggestions of lazy summer days in Provence, lounging in the garden, swimming in the pool or playing boules on the drive!

Similarly below, celebrating on the beach at Brighton. It doesn't matter to me this photo is a little fuzzy, that was exactly the warm feeling I had in my tummy that day. We took a day trip to the lanes to find the perfect antique engagement ring. We did and then had ice cream on the beach to celebrate. I don't want to remember a specific moment, I want to remember the whole day and this is exactly what this photo conjures up for me.

These next ones are from our hike up Snowdon! We did this with all our family in memory of my late uncle. We raised a whopping amount for the local hospice that did so much for him and the family and every single member of the twenty-strong team (ranging from 7 years old to somewhere near the 60s, without being too specific!) made it all the way up and down. Incredible.

Got a few more to sort through that I'll want to share soon, so keep an eye out for them coming shortly!

You can also see the other results of our lomography experiments here and here.

Mx

The Mini-Diana Lomography Experiment Part II

You may remember this, the first part of The Great Lomography Experiment! The results were awesome, but a little limited (only about 10 photos tops!). So undeterred we have soldiered on and shot another roll of film on the gorgeous Mini Diana. Want to see the results?! Well they are coming right up! Here are some of my favourites, completely pure, unadulterated by photoshop or any other filters!

First off a fantastic view of South London from Josie's flat. What a view! And lucky to catch it at the golden hour on a sunny London day - a rarity!!

The big old 30th birthday! I am a very lucky girl - that cake was EPIC! It will live in legend - my kids will one day hear ALL about it. And if they don't already think I'm ancient then the 70s feel of these shots will definitely confirm it! This is all thanks to the coloured, lime green flash!

Christmas angels decorating the tree! :) Best thing about getting a film developed old school style is that i spans such a wide time frame. Not used to that these days! This second shot above includes two exposures (at least) - one from my birthday and a second at Christmas over 6 weeks later. So basically this whole post is like a round up of the best bits of the last 6 months. Yeay!

Head on a plate, haha! Anyone fancy a nibble of Vanessa? Hanging out in Brixton and Mango Landings. Mostly dancing and flexing our muscles!

One of the best NYEs ever! Nothing can beat a good ol' knees up in the living room with yer buddies. Well, until you bust out your whole collection of hats and sunnies to deck out the team and up the ante another notch! :)

Finally a spot more fancy dress as Claire's hen. I LOVE the effect on this last photo - it must have been the first exposure on the whole film. This is the best thing about lomography, I could never have created that effect with the dslr or photoshop even if i'd tried! Anyone else experimenting with toy cameras? I've love to check out the result...and pick up a few tips! :)

DIY Fantastic: Wedding Album

This is a very special diy that I've been working on for a very special couple. Last year I had the honour of being a bridesmaid for a dear old school friend and I was determined to ensure their wedding gift was as memorable as the day itself. I worked on an 'alternative' wedding album - incorporating all those important days and dates in the lead up to the wedding day that weren't captured by the official photographer and all those silly snaps that might not have made the cut into the official album!

The ingredients I gathered together for the job:

1. Printed photos and any other materials you've collected (I had the wedding invitation and the order of service that I'd saved especially, but things such as ticket stubs, travel tickets etc would be perfect)
2. Album (I chose a very simple plain album with thick cream card pages)
3. Craft knife and ruler for trimming
3. Ribbons, sequins, gems, washi tape and any other pretty bits and pieces for decoration
4. Glue stick/spray mount
5. Black ink pen for commentary, illustrations etc!

The best thing about this album is that you can make it to remember any special day, holiday, birthday,  celebration - it's not just for weddings! But having had our first wedding of the year yesterday I'm in full on wedding mode so the time seemed right!

The actual steps to put this together are very simple, trim all the photos to the desired size using the ruler and craft knife. I mixed it up with lots of photos of different shapes and sizes and some with borders and some without as I wanted it to feel more relaxed and eclectic. But you could also trip them to all the same sizes and shape if you want it more co-herent.

I also drew some little illustrations to add some labels and commentary to the photos, these were simple black ink sketches on white card such as those you can see below:

Finally it just came down to arranging the composition of the material within the album. Sounds simple right? Trust me it's not!!! :p I opted for a loosely chronological order starting with a girly visit to the venue, invitation making, hen do and then on to the big day!

Here are some sneaky peaks of some key spreads:

Illustrated rosette and washi tape add some interest to this spread from our visit to Royal Ascot! 

A small amount of editing prior to printing meant I could add some fun captions to the photos, I love 'The Slow Dance' and 'The Kiss' with the inflatable parrot! 

The original invitation was a little bulky, I was tempted to leave it out but very pleased I worked with it in the end.

Some simple white pearly sequins used to decorate the final preparations of the bride!

I love the interactive 'book-within-a-book' feel of including the invitation and order of service!

And finally, you know you can't resist a fun gif to round things off, so here you go:

You can play with this in so many different ways to add character and interest, go experiment!

The only tip I'd add is if you're planning a similar project is to be prepared - collect as much as you can from the actual events so that you can add those personal touches that are easily discarded but when collated together like this can mean so much more than the sum of their parts!

Congratulations Lisa and Steve and thank you for waiting patiently for your gift! :)

Wishes: for a Fantastic Easter

Howdy All! Apologies for the absence, busy times, but that's no excuse so I'm back and wishing everyone a fantastic, choc-tastic Easter. I hope the Easter Bunny has made it round to everyone and that you're having a wonderful weekend full of family, friends and fun.
 

I'll be back shortly with my next diy. It's been a LONG time in the making, so watch this space! :)

Knicker Elastic Everywhere!

We're experimenting in all corners of social media over here. Apparently, this is what all discerning bloggers must do! Though we never expect to achieve that status, we can give it our best shot! So, we are now fully up and running on various social media apps all over the t'interweb. If you're enjoying our musings on this blog be sure to check out knicker elastic elsewhere...

I am constantly experimenting with Instagram, I love how instant it is and how you're forced to select a single shot rather than a whole album - it means only the very best photos make the cut!

You can follow here to get directly to the snapwidget of my instagram account or simply follow @knickerelasticfantastic in your app. Happy instagramming!

But that's not it - we also have a facebook page. This is great for keeping folks updated when we've posted to the blog or got any gossip to share! Give us a little 'like' if you like what you see! :p

And last but not least is my Pinterest account. I love Pintrest, having a place where you can save all your favourite images, neatly categorised by subject or moods, to browse for inspiration when you're on the move. Nothing beats it! Have a little browse through my latest inspirations...

The Lomo Experiment: No.1

I recently introduced you to Diana. My new bestest friend! She goes with me everywhere. So expect to be inundated with Lomography shots of the coming months - the good, the bad and the ugly - the lot of them! It's been so much fun playing with real film once again, so old school! And the feeling of suspense and anticipation (and nerves!) as we waited for the film to be developed is something I haven't felt in years!

The first stage of the experiment was rather less than successful (understatement). Of the 36 regular exposure film (that's a potential 72 exposures on the portrait setting. Math), we got SIX working exposures. Not sure exactly what the problem was here, but one thing was clear - the film tore at some point - either when we were winding forwards or back. Ah, the highs and lows of real film! Also, having not intentionally made any double exposures at this stage, we ended up with photos exposed more than just twice, the max I could see in one pic was four! And I'm sure there are actually more...

But despite these issues we got some goodies, that's for sure. The effects are remarkable (read trippy). Take a peek at the pics below and let me know what you think. (Given we only got so few pics I haven't even been selective, no need!) Just to note - these are completely unadulterated, straight from the original film!

This first is my favourite - despite the FOUR exposures, the composition really works and the colours are fab! I also love the way the two images blend into each other.

Another slightly spooky number here. Love the fact I'm in it twice!! hehe

P.s. How cool is the pink flash in one of the exposures in the right side?! If only all cameras had different coloured flashes! (In my dream world they might be compulsory!)

These are lovely - all the girls looking gorgeous. :)

This one is very spooky, almost ghostly! Mwaaahhaahaaha!

Welcome to the family: Diana Mini Lomo

I have an announcement - there is a new addition to the family. My Mini-Diana! She is a true beaut. (Oh and she's sporting a fantastic map of the world, never to get lost!) I have to thank my dearest IzzWhizz entirely for this new family member, totally inspired (and totally crazy!).

Diana Mini 'Compass' Lomography Camera

This is my first toy camera, we've had one or two teething problems but I'll skip over those boring details. Suffice to say the results are COMPLETELY unexpected and unpredictable. I'm not a gambler by nature, but dropping the shutter on this baby is a complete gamble.

Expect to be bombarded by some psychedelic, weird and wonderful shots as the Grand Lomo Experiment gets underway!