Thursday, December 3, 2009

Happy Accidents


One of the many joys of lomography is the occurrence of a “happy accident.” Basically, this happens when somewhere along the process of capturing or developing an image, something malfunctioned or went wrong – an accident. Normally, we view accidents as something negative. However, there are instances wherein the resulting product of such mishap is far more profound and exciting as it would have if the entire process went smoothly.

Above is a recent photo of mine that captures entirely the essence of a “happy accident.” There was absolutely no intention on my part to perform any trick, or whatsoever. This photo was taken by an Olympus XA1. Somehow, when I advanced the film, it did not fully proceed to the next frame, but was enough such that I was able to press the shutter. This does not normally happen to this particular camera; neither does it have a built in mechanism for multiple exposures. Nevertheless it happened, by accident. The result, an over lapping image, that says so such more compared to what two separate images could have expressed. In Gestalt expressions: “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts!” It’s kind of poetic too; which led me to naming it “A Corner in the Sky.” An irony of sorts (the sky does not have corners). And yes, the poet is very happy indeed!

So go out there and shoot, and appreciate and enjoy your future delightful misfortunes!

2 comments:

  1. This is beautiful. I just love multiple exposures!.. You make me want to use my Holga again. :)

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  2. Thanks a lot! You should! I am sure your Holga misses you as much!

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