EXPOSURE By Emily Lyon

 

In 2018, I accidentally shot over a roll of film from high school. This differs from a normal double exposure, which exposes the exact same frame twice in succession. Shooting an entire roll twice is a real gamble. You run the risk of everything coming out overexposed or, because the frames likely will not line up, they are aligned in a weird way.

I was so happy with the results that when I went on tour with my band, Wilt (since disbanded), I wanted to replicate the effect. We were on the road for two weeks, heading south, turning around in Atlanta, and coming back to Philadelphia. I decided to shoot over a roll from a trip to Colorado earlier that year.

I had no idea what my exposures were going to look like, but isn't that what shooting film is all about? The risk that, because you can't see the photos you're taking, everything will come out wonky? You know how satisfying it is to get back a roll and everything turned out as well as you saw it in your head. Shooting and double-shooting a roll will take that excitement and at least double it.

Most of my frames from this roll are illegible and not exciting. With this small selection of frames you see here, I had no idea this is what was going to come out, and I like it. Try it sometime! Think of it as experimenting and collaborating with yourself, with chance.