Looking Back at Make This a Double Film Swap 2023

In 2021 Anca ( @ofchanceandchoice) decided to launch a project called Make This A Double an international film swap project where participants shoot a roll of film and send it to another photographer in another part of the globe, creating magnificent multiple exposures. Now currently on its fourth iteration, we take a look at the results of last year’s project and talk with Anca about everything that went into making it a success.

Greetings! Can you please introduce yourself to the community and tell us how you started your analogue journey?

My name is Anca, and I live in Bucharest, Romania. I’ve been taking photos for as long as I can remember. I took an analogue photography and darkroom workshop back in 2010, and then this hobby got lost in between all my other hobbies. I picked up a film camera again during the first COVID lockdown, and, as they say, the rest is history.

You started your project in 2021. How has it progressed since the first ever film swap?

I was nervous about starting this project back in 2021. I had never done a film swap before, and I had reached out to some people on Lomography without much success. Then I thought maybe there are other people like me that I might find with a more public approach.

I am happy to say the feedback was positive, and we are now starting our fourth edition. I am incredibly excited about people returning to the swap year after year. This means we are making friends and building a community beyond the individual results we get on any roll of film.

Compared to the other two years, 2023 had more than one round if I’m not mistaken. How did that go about?

Sometimes, participants don't receive a roll due to postal mishaps or just life forcing their partners to step back from the swap. For the first two years, I reached out to people who had already completed the swaps to invite them to act as backup partners. Last year, as an alternative, I created a mini-swap within the swap for old friends of the swap who joined late, for the participants who hadn’t received a roll of film, and for those of us who had the time and the energy for another round. I will probably do the same this year because it worked pretty well (and I wasn’t as stressed about people not getting a roll as I was during the first two editions).

Have you been keeping track of the statistics and numbers, such as participants, countries, what kind of film is used, etc.? Can you share with us some interesting insights from the project?

Numbers and Excel files are a passion of mine, so of course, I keep track of some interesting numbers and include fun stats in our yearly zines. In 2023, there were 88 participants (32 returning) from 26 countries, with Ukraine, Israel, and Finland, among others, joining us for the first time. The USA and Germany are usually in the lead, with the most participants. Color film is preferred over black and white (45 versus 18 last year, without taking into account special emulsions or slide films).

In 2023, it was the first time we had a medium-format swap, which was an individual decision and an exciting surprise. I really enjoy doing the math of kilometers traveled by our rolls; in 2023, the bird’s-eye distance was approximately 540,000 km.

Among the film swaps have there been any cool stories from the participants you would like to share?

Some rolls go on amazing adventures before we get to see the photos. In 2023, one roll traveled from Mexico to Germany, back to Mexico, and then back to Germany before concluding its journey. The roll from Ukraine made a pit stop in Romania before going to Mexico. A roll from Italy arrived in France, then traveled on vacation to Italy again. I love how international we are with our connections.

I met some of the friends I made through the swap. Lenka @lenka_rohlinkova visited our exhibition in Bucharest, and we managed to meet. Chris from Greece reached out when he saw I was traveling in his part of the world. We met and chatted, and it was so much fun. Then, by coincidence, Molly Kate @mollykatephoto and I joined a street photography workshop in Bologna and realized the film swap connection over lunch one day. It was an amazing surprise. I am happiest when swap participants get to meet in real life or work on other projects together. One of the projects I look forward to is the publication that emerged from the swaps between Kevin @kvnbyln and Tawnya @phototee83, which will be available soon.

Can you give us some tips for getting eye-catching and unique results from a film swap?

I’ve had the chance to do more than 20 swaps in the last three years with @makethisadouble and with other friends from the Lomo community. I usually start simple—mark the first frame and check my ISO. I try to remember that somebody else will need some space to fit their vision in my original frame, and I try to compose my image accordingly. I’ve tried planned and unplanned swaps, even swaps with myself, shooting over old and forgotten rolls. High-contrast images work well; textures do too. From previous swaps, some of the most impressive results came from portraits over landscapes, and plants superimposed on cityscapes.

Your project reminds me of this thing in DJing called "back-to-back" where two or more DJs play together in one set. There’s a lot of push and pull, and being able to read one another to create one cohesive set. With this film swap do you think you need to be familiar with the person you will swap with or can you just wing it and get good results?

When launching a new swap, I create a form with a couple of questions so the sending partner can get to know the receiving partner a bit. I also encourage participants to check out their partner’s social media, portfolios and likes and dislikes regarding film photography. Just like in music, I think improvisation works best when you have some tools you know well and you can play with. It’s a lot about what catches our attention while making space to be surprised (and sometimes disappointed). Film swaps are an acquired taste, as is music improvisation (to continue your analogy). And it takes a bit of courage to lean into the unknown results and just give your best, trusting that your partner will match your energy and you’ll be rewarded with even a couple of amazing images that no planning could have led to.

Are there any new mechanics or ideas you want to try out for this year? Do you have any plans going forward with this project?

We just launched Volume 4, and for the second time, we have a theme, albeit a loose one: Little Things. I hope this theme will encourage the participants to look for the little joys in their photographic adventure rather than just shoot to fill a roll, no matter what. Film (and a film swap even more so) is such a perfect time capsule, and I hope we will use the opportunity to store some of the moments that matter. I’ll probably keep making a zine after each edition. I am always looking for ways to promote the project and the wonderful photographers in the community by applying to exhibitions and similar opportunities. I am always open to ideas and to making this project better together, so please reach out if you feel so inclined.

Is there anything you want to share with the rest of the community?

I just want to take this opportunity to remember Klaus, @klawe, a friend of the swap since its first edition, who sadly passed away last November. He and his partner, Gudrun @guja, are such an important part of what this project is or will become, and Klaus will be dearly missed.

I am very grateful to have found a home for this project on Lomography and am excited to continue working on it for as long as possible. I can’t wait to see what magic we will create together this year!

We thank Anca for this wonderful community-building project. Make sure to follow her on her personal LomoHome. And check out all the results from Make This a Double 2023.

written by rocket_fries0036 on 2024-05-28 #culture #people #places #experimental #film-swap #europe #multiple-exposure #international #double-exposure #double-swap