Lomography is the commercial trademark of Lomographische AG, Austria for products and services catering to lo-fi photographers^{[dubious – discuss]}. The name is inspired by the former state-run optics manufacturer LOMO PLC of Leningrad (Saint Petersburg), Russia. LOMO PLC created and produced the 35mm LOMO LC-A Compact Automat camera — which became the centerpiece of Lomography's marketing and sales activities. This camera was loosely based upon the Cosina CX-1 and introduced in the early 1980s.

In 1991, the Austrian founders of Lomography discovered the Lomo LC-A. They were "charmed by the unique, colorful, and sometimes blurry" images that the camera produced. After a series of international art exhibitions and marketing, Lomography signed an exclusive distribution agreement with LOMO PLC — thereby becoming the sole distributor of all Lomo LC-A cameras outside of the Soviet Union.^{[citation needed]}

Since the introduction of the original Lomo LC-A, Lomography has marketed various lines of branded analogue cameras. Most of these cameras are designed to produce a single photographic effect. In 2005, production of the original Lomo LC-A was discontinued. Its replacement, the LC-A+, was introduced in Fall^[when?] 2006. The new camera, made in China rather than Russia, featured the original Russian lens manufactured by LOMO PLC. This changed as of mid-2007 with the lens now made in China as well.