In response to the collective winter doldrums of a few members this year, I suggested a film swap extravaganza. We are working on that, and you will see the results of it sometime this spring. But for now, a teaser! -- Amy Jasek
Lucy Wainwright
We already had a film swap underway when Amy suggested it as a Collective project so this is extra!
Tracey's doing a swap with Ralph Whitehead and I'm also doing one with Mark Hillyer so we're both really in the doubles zone at the moment. Film swaps and double exposures are something I do frequently and I think they're a really important part of my work, so this should have been entirely within my comfort zone.
However, it's also the case that Tracey is a photographer whose work inspires and delights me every day, so I was a bit nervous, especially when her precious roll of 120 Ektachrome with its irreplaceable base-layer of images hit my doormat in January. I felt I had to shoot only the worthiest and most extraordinary things, and consequently I've rarely had a roll in camera for so long.
I used my most trusted and comfortable MF camera, the lovely Diana F+, and I think I used three different lenses too, from extra close up to superwide. I found some shots of brilliant octopus kites at Crosby beach on Merseyside, of trees in Manchester city centre, some close-ups of flowers and butterflies in my home, and a Catholic shrine to the Virgin Mary at the side of a quiet country lane near my home in Derbyshire. This roll really did travel.
Some of my images are very ghostly and some have very much dominated, but some of the frames are very balanced. It was a great roll and one that I'm really proud of! I'm also very grateful to Tracey for playing. You're a star, Tracey.
Tracey Nixon Bos
I found Lucy one evening while clicking my way through a network of links, searching for anything film related. I ran across a few of her photos and was intrigued by how unusual they were Meeting Lucy is one of the best things that has happened for my photography. Viewing her work with doubles and cross-processing accelerated my own work with the same, eventually leading to images that made my heart say, "yes!". I am forever grateful for your guidance, Lucy!
I have been excited about our images coming together from the moment we decided to swap last June. The roll made its first pass through Holga at a very slow pace. I spent months mulling over what would make a solid base layer for Lucy's images, when eventually what felt right was to grab my usual shots from our general yard area here in Michigan. Doubles in one camera can be tricky, shared doubles in two -- trickier yet. Turns out, we had a nice hit rate and as Lucy stated in a message to me, "Our images really duked it out!" I was relieved to see that we had a few frames where both layers are recognizable. I'm pleased to share our crossed-doubles images with you and am excited to see the results of the Collective's larger-scale project!
Happy shooting!
Connect
Film photographer Lucy Wainwright is based in Derbyshire, UK. See more of her work on her Instagram. Film photographer Tracey Nixon Bos is based in Michigan. Connect with her on Instagram.