Lomowall in Lomo's China flagship gallery store on Shanghai's Jinxian Road.

On a rainy weekend, hundreds of zealous young shutterbugs throng to a store opening in an old building on Jinxian Road. They carry funny, funky Lomo cameras that set them apart as Lomo lunatics.

Some bear temporary tattoos reading "Lomo" or "Lomography." They call themselves and their simple cameras Lomos.

For those not yet in the know, Lomo is a 27-year-old Russian film camera brand - and, more importantly, a photography style that emphasizes spontaneity, snapshots and shooting from the hip. Lomo is also a lighthearted lifestyle and a philosophy.

Lomo stands for Leningrad Optical-Mechanical Amalgamation.

Among the 10 golden rules of lomography: don't think, be fast, shoot from the hip, get up close, and don't worry about rules.

This advice is very unlike the traditional reserve that is ingrained in many young people.

But many are crazy about winging it, going with the flow and taking their inexpensive camera wherever they go, shooting anything that strikes their fancy.

"Let our lives be magic and open," says one Lomo fan at the opening of Lomo's China flagship gallery store in Shanghai last month.

Cat shot by Fisheye2 with ring flash.

It's also Shanghai's first store. There are other Lomography gallery stores in Tokyo, Seoul, New York, Paris and other cities.

The six-floor store features enormous Lomowalls covered with colorful lomos. It sells cameras, equipment, T-shirts, camera bags and other accessories. Bags are printed with the golden rules, like "Don't think" and "Shoot from the hip."

Prices start around 400 yuan (US$59), around a quarter of the price of a Sony digital camera. The cameras, like the classic LC-A, are small, simple and operate well in low light.

Lomography fans take a lighthearted approach to photography and document everyday life.

They appreciate the "happy accidents" on film, the unexpected and unintended images that show up.

The Lomo film cameras were created in 1982 by a military lens manufacturer in the former Soviet Union.

They are known for their Fisheye lens that captures unusual images, as well as eight individual Oktamat lenses.

"Shanghai is the right place for Lomographic adventure and we believe lomo fans will love it," says Matthias Fiegl, managing partner of Lomography Society International (LSI), during the opening ceremony.