Lomography Film Swap Challenge (Part 1)

A film swap is one of the most exciting and unpredictable possibilities with analogue photography. As artistic collaborations go it’s very simple (double exposures made by two people shooting the same roll of film) but it’s also a process that never fails to provide unique and fascinating results.

For Film Photography Day this year we connected pairs of Lomographers living in the same regions to take part in a film swap. Each individual brought their own style and creative ideas to the experiment, and with a sprinkle of luck, (and perhaps a quick prayer to the film gods) voila! The outcome is a plethora of beautiful double exposures.

Japan - LomoChrome Metropolis

larme______ : I do multiple exposures by myself, but have never done it with someone else. So I applied for this project as soon as I saw the ad.

Though I used the correct exposure settings, some pictures came out a bit dark. Anyway I was surprised to see how good the pictures looked! It was like we took pictures of the same things or same places in many frames, the pictures feel so natural! We didn’t communicate before shooting, but it looks like we had good chemistry.

I’m happy that we were able to create such great, artistic content!

you.co.co : I was immediately drawn to this project. I believe one of the things that make film photography is multiple exposure and it’s even more interesting to do it with some else. So I decided to apply for it as soon as I saw the post. You can’t experience this excitement anywhere else.

Since I usually shoot vertically, I debated myself whether I should shoot vertically or horizontally. I really wanted to shoot vertically, but I decided to go horizontal to keep good balance. As I was shooting, I got myself thinking about a lot of technical things such as exposure. But, at the end of the day, the best way to do film swap is just have fun and not think too much about the other photographer.

Thailand - LomoChrome Purple

@OPON21: I like the feeling when developing a film that I have to wonder what the resulting image looks like.

The most challenging part is getting the perfect timing between the two frames that will overlap each other. If the first layer is too bright it will affect the second layer which will leave less film space as well.

Here are my tips for any newbies:
1. Choose a low ISO film, you can more adjust the camera setting.
2. Set your camera's ISO setting at least 2x higher than the ISO on film. The resulting image will be in low light, this will give enough shooting area for the 2nd layer.
3. Avoid taking photos with very white tones or in a very bright outdoor area.
4. Let's take a picture. "Ignore all the rules"

I like the results. I felt like I saw two cultures combine together in one frame. Very fun.

Doo Film: I was interested in taking part in this project because I had never done film swapping before and I thought, how lucky I am if I can get a good experience without the cost of a roll of film.

I didn't know what my film swap's partner would shoot as scenes, location, object etc. so I prayed we could create good photos. I'm very satisfied with my first time experience and I will try to do it again.

South Korea - Lomography Color Negative 400

Park Sunga: I was curious about multiple exposures, and I thought it would be fun if the color and sensibility unique to the Lomography film met with multiple exposures.

Film photos can be taken whenever I want to capture them or hold a camera, but film swaps are not made by myself, so it was hard to figure out what kind of pictures to take, and I was more confused because I was not sure about the results.

It was fascinating to see a different result when the mysterious picture was added to the other picture. It was an opportunity to feel the special charm of film swap. Finally, it was a very meaningful to participate in the film swap project of 2022. I had a different experience that I had never had before while taking photos alone, and I think this result will remain a precious picture.

Lee Suyoung: I recently came across multi-exposure photography, and I was actually a little afraid to try it right away. I didn't know how to do it, and I was hesitant because I didn't know what to include.

At that moment, I discovered a great opportunity called film swap, and I was very excited to learn and understand multiple exposures, and to be able to make one piece of work with someone I didn't know at all. Of course, there is no way to know what the previous shooter would have captured even after repeated considerations, so the most difficult part was taking pictures and not getting a sense of how the results would come out. But in the end, I was able to take pictures one by one, fluttering at the thought that one or two good pictures would eventually be a moment of coincidence, like fate.

When I received the results, the most disappointing thing was that I had the wrong starting point ... The two shots were slightly out of line. However, as an extension of the opportunity that led me to participate in this film swap, I was able to feel great excitement just by looking into the life of a fellow photographer and seeing images where that life overlapped with my life. In addition to this, some of the photos have a strangely harmonious feeling, so I think it was a very good experience.

Australia - LomoChrome Metropolis

Alexi56: A film swap / double exposure exercise was something I’ve wanted to do for several years. This was a terrific opportunity, and it worked out really well.

The challenge was lack of time. That was I feel particularly due to postal / logistical issue across the globe at present. That said, there is a certain discipline in having to use a roll of film in a given amount of time.

There are half a dozen images from our exercise that are quirky, alarming and disturbing in their three dimensional effect. Overall I am very pleased with the outcome, and would do it again.

Jake Robertson: I chose to be part of the film swap so I could experience a completely different type of photography I have never tested before, and not shooting photos with someone I know makes it very unbiased and experimental

I really liked some of the shots, luck plays a big roll in double exposures and I would love to participate again!

We'd like to give a huge thanks to everyone who participated in this project! You can find more of each photographer's work at their respective LomoHomes and Instagram accounts.

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written by melissaperitore on 2022-06-23 #gear #people #places #australia #challenge #experimental #multiple-exposure #filmswap #double-exposure #uk #italy #thailand #france #japan #south-korea #film-photography-day