Life through a low-tech lens: We showcase your retro photographs

Commended: Berni Martin, 39, lives in Jersey and is an intellectual property specialist. She uses a Lomo Fisheye camera

When I was on holiday in Goa, I used to go down to the beach to get an ice cream and there would be a pack of dogs around us. I spotted this dog lying on a sarong. I needed to get quite close to get this photo. That is the thing about the Fisheye: you need to be quite close to get the curve of the lens. Using the Fisheye is just a bit of fun really. You never really know what you are going to get. There is always an element of surprise, which I like. With a digital camera, people are always looking for that perfect photograph, but with the Fisheye camera I have fun. I am inspired by colour.

David Ames, 40, lives in Southampton and is a property developer. He uses a Holga camera

A friend of mine brought a Holga and didn't get on with it, so I borrowed it, and fell in love with it. It is so simple to use and it gives a nice homemade quality to the pictures. I had used a digital camera a lot and it seemed a bit soulless. The balloon photo I took in Southampton city centre just before Christmas. I was drawn by the colours. The photo of the chicken I took in Botley, just outside Southampton. I was on a walk and I was passing some farm buildings when I saw the chicken and thought it looked good. I don't go out with an intention of photographing anything particular. I take a photo if something takes my fancy. The Holga gives takes dramatic and pleasing photographs. People are realising you can get a bit more character with a low-tech camera.

Adam Whisker, 32, lives in Brighton and is a civil servant. He uses a Lomography Fisheye camera

This photo was taken in the "Silent City", Mdina, in Malta, while I was visiting my family there. I snapped it on my Lomography Fisheye camera with some old black and white film. It was partly down to chance as I was just ambling along and caught a glance of a great aerial view of the rooftops. I'm a massive fan of Lomography cameras as I love the idea of taking a roll of film and not knowing the outcome until you get it developed.

JP Westenskow, 26, lives in Tucson, Arizona and is a manager at a domestic violence shelter. He uses a Holga camera

Simple words catch your attention and in these photographs they really caught mine. I've always enjoyed simple photography and I shoot low-tech photographs on an almost daily basis. I always carry a camera with me as I don't like to go out of my way for photographs. I like to take pictures as a part of my everyday life and even if I leave my camera behind, I am always on the search for something unusual or interesting to look at.

Commended: Paul Shields, 42, lives in York and is portrait photographer. He uses a pinhole camera

I took this photo a few years ago in Nottingham when I was studying photography at Nottingham Trent University. It was part of a project to take photos with a basic pinhole camera. At first glance it looks like I have shot a church but, actually, it was a quite dull council building. But it had two towers, so I knew it would give a really nice effect when distorted. Low-technology photography is one of my hobbies and, since I saw the Independent's article about the Holga camera, I have started snapping away on one like a mad thing.

Commended: Michael Jackson, 41, lives in Cwmpengraig in Wales and is a fine-art photographer. He uses a Holga

The Holga was my first film-camera. The gate photo was taken in the village of Dunsden in Berkshire and it was the first I took with the Holga. It was published in a photography magazine which kick-started my photography career and led me to setting up my own photography business. I was driving past and saw the image. I took the shot and jumped back in the car. With every shot it is down to the light. Because the Holga is so light you don't even realise you have it round your neck. It is an imperfect camera which is part of its charm. It is the happy accident that you get with the Holga. It is so simple to use you don't have to think about it. It gives me a fresh perspective on everything. You can seize the moment and snap away.

Casper Jacobsen, 31, lives in Copenhagen and is a technician. He uses a Holga

I bought a colour-splash camera in 2006. I love it that low-tech photography is so unpredictable. Digital cameras are too polished and artificial. Low-tech is rougher and old school and that is what I like about it. I like to wide-pan with a camera which is not made for wide-panning. That is what I did for this photograph. Digital photographs are boring.

Alex Brattell, 46, Lives in East Sussex and is a freelance photographer and photography teacher. He uses a pinhole camera

I had an expensive camera stolen when I was in Mexico City, so I went out and brought the cheapest camera I could find. I started experimenting with low-tech photography. I like the way that you have to make big bold compositions with toy cameras.

Stephan Kaps, 27, lives in Stadhagen, Germany and is a teacher. He uses a Diana camera

I took this at a train station as part of a project for a theatre group I work with. This year's production is Alice in Wonderland, and we wanted a quirky photograph for the publicity material. The students seemed a bit concerned at first that I wasn't going to use a digital camera, but in the end they really like the result from the Diana.

Gordon Stettinius, 42, lives in Richmond, Virginia, USA and is a university art teacher. He uses a Holga camera

When I'm not working or teaching photography I love to take personal pictures about my life and of my loved ones. This is a photo of my boy, Walker, taken when we stayed in this little log cabin up at a place called Chipeokes Creek. Most of my professional photography work is for CD covers and book jackets so I really enjoy the chance to use something simple like a Holga to shoot something simple. and personal.

Commended: Darren Elliott, 34, lives in Nagoya, Japan and is a university lecturer. He uses a Holga

We had a lot of snow back in February and when I saw this chap with an umbrella walking outside of my flat I thought it would make an interesting picture. As I'm sure all Holga fans will say, you never know what type of photo you will get, but this image came out wonderfully. I love the way Holga images are so crisp in the centre but blur away to the edges. It makes the scene seem very unreal and dreamy.

Winner: Grant Olsen, 28, lives in Utah and is a computer programmer. He uses a Holga

In all my life I've never seen anything so beautiful as the city of Amber, India. Although I had a digital camera with me, I decided to shoot with my Holga because it captures the simplicity and timelessness of a subject better than any other camera. I met this boy there. He smiled, and I was touched by his sincerity. This was the only shot I took of him. There was no posing.

The top five entries win Holga cameras, courtesy of the Photographers' Gallery, London