A Lomography International Film Swap (Part 1)
4 17 Share TweetThis year to celebrate Film Photography Day, we organised an ambitious international film swap, pairing up Lomography community members from all over the world and challenging them to create combined works of art while making intercontinental connections.
Our film rolls traveled thousands of miles, from one partner to another, resulting in some stunning, unique, and completely unpredictable creations. Check out our first batch of #lomoworldfilmswap results fresh from the labs, and read about the participants' experiences!
Japan X Spain
Marta: Since my partner did his shooting in Japan, I really wanted to get some Japan vs. Spain contrast so I went to the oldest and "more Spanish-looking" neighborhood of my city in order to take pictures of old churches, narrow streets, and geraniums. Also, my city (Elche) is very famous for having the most palm trees in Europe, so of course I had to shoot a lot of palm trees.
I think we did a good job! In some of the pictures, either his or my camera stole the show (this always happens) but there are a lot of them in which both shots just melt smoothly.
Personally, I don't like overloading the frame: I usually leave some "empty" space in each frame for my partners' shot to "shine" .(i.e. capturing a piece of sky or floor) , Also, don't think too much, you never know what you'll get, so just enjoy the process.
Think about it: two different humans living in very different places of the world capturing a moment of their lives in the very same piece of plastic - it's just magic.
Akio: Since I was given an 800 speed film, I thought I should shoot at night. That way I could make a good base for double-exposure. Then I figured maybe neon signs are good to start with, but I just ended up having fun and finished the roll in a few hours. I started from my neighborhood and finished the last frame at the Shibuya crossing. For this film swap I used my Canon A1 with 50 mm and star cross filter.
I shot at night and she shot during the day, which means we exposed two opposite scenes of a day on a single film. The landscapes which would otherwise never blend merged with each other on a single frame. It was really amazing.
I was the first one to expose the roll but I didn’t really think about the next person; don’t think too much and just have fun!
After the film swap I got a message from Marta on Instagram. This is a fun aspect of film swap; it’s a fun opportunity to meet new friends.
France X Hong Kong
Ray: I was very happy and honored to receive an invitation to use photography to connect with people in different parts of the world. Work has been a bit heavy recently, and I have also fallen into some confusion in life. So when I received this invitation, I was really happy. I had the motivation and time to pick up my camera and to shoot this city again.
This is my first time trying a Film Swap! In the past, I used double exposure in my photographic creative process, and it was completely based on my own ideas. But this time I worked with another photographer to complete a series of photos, even a story.
I used one of my favorite cameras — Nikon FM3A, and I went to the Peak, Tsim Sha Tsui Waterfront, and Mong Kok. I think the most fascinating thing about Hong Kong is the relationship between mountains, sea and city. Being able to faithfully present the various aspects of this city has always been my most desired goal.
My first reaction after receiving the photos was a real WOW! It has a completely different feel from the double exposed photos I created in the past. You can see completely different images and styles in the same photo. This collaboration presents a sense of contrast. In the photo, you can see French people and buildings, and at the same time, you can see Hong Kong's neon lights and Victoria Harbor. I think the result is exactly one of the purposes of this collaboration: to show the beauty of different places in the world and how the distance between each of us is actually not far at all.
I have to say that the portrait photos taken by Chloé are really beautiful and interesting, and I am happy that the street in Hong Kong becomes a very beautiful and charming canvas in the background.
Chloe: I had the chance of taking most of my photos inside a typical-looking “Parisian” flat. The flat had its own delicate charm, very bright, with natural light coming through large windows.
I decided to include flowers in the scenery as well for a touch of elegance – I think they added an interesting texture and poetry to some of the photographs. In a few images, the model holds a cigarette. It creates a mysterious, floating moment.
I find the concept of Film Swaps to be very inspiring and fascinating. Putting in touch photographs from the other sides of the globe really helps to break boundaries and promote diversity. For me, it’s very representative of the analogue photography medium itself. It’s experimenting, it’s a waiting game and it’s leaving things to chance! The film becomes an own canvas for collaboration, where two universes collide to create something really unique and unexpectedly harmonious. It truly shows how art is borderless and how each encounter you make will only open your eyes a little more.
I was gladly surprised by how two totally different environments, Paris & Hong Kong, intertwined. The portraits I captured indoors, in an intimate setting, were overlaid on urban and busy streets landscapes.
It’s quite tough to pick a favorite. But if I had to I would choose this one:

There are a lot of feelings transpiring in this photo. Every little detail, every shade says something. I like its vintage vibe, a soft touch of nostalgia. This is double exposure magic – where two universes not only meet, but complement each other.
I was disappointed with a few images, where the balance between the two exposures was not quite right. One scene overtook the other one a few times, due to a lot of - too much - light. But that’s only fair game when it comes to analogue photography!
USA X China
Sun Yu: My photos were taken in Nanjing, capturing scenes from Xinjiekou, Dahsingong, and some nearby night views. Also, some old buildings along Yihelou Road were photographed. Finally, I visited an underground art space.
For me, the most challenging part was convincing myself to let go of the idea of having control over everything because with this kind of photography, no matter how much communication is done, true control is never possible. One must learn to let go and then enjoy the process of the unknown. But hey, isn’t that the motto of Lomography?
Honestly, I was a bit disappointed when browsing the thumbnails at first, but upon closer inspection, I found many of them quite intriguing. For example, there’s a plane, and then there are very prominent numbers or symbols, or the plane is printed on a wall or the ground, creating a sense of spatial overlay. It can also be said that the images I envisioned were basically realized, although most of them were not in the positions I expected.
It was different collaborating with a photographer from the United States, capturing completely different scenes and using entirely different ways of thinking. This collision of perspectives was very interesting. And using LomoChrome Turquoise was enjoyable. I like this film, it’s very distinctive, and very cool! If all the night scenes could be done with Turquoise, I think it would be even better!
Carolina: I took my photos right next to the Miami International Airport (MIA). The most challenging thing to me was not knowing what the other would be doing, but I loved the results! There are some very interesting images!
The thing I love most about film swaps is the surprise when I see the results.
Thank you to our talented Lomographers, Marta, Akio, Ray, Chloe, Sun Yu and Carolina for participating in this international film swap! See all of the results from their swaps at #lomoworldfilmswap and on their respective LomoHomes – @MOTAGIRL2, @AKIO_NAKAI, @0130, @CHLOLHOT, @BONNELLY.
Would you like to be involved in future Lomography events? Check out our events page and subscribe to our newsletter to keep updated about all our community projects.
written by alexgray on 2024-06-02 #culture #places #film-swap #spain #hong-kong #double-exposure #france #japan #film-photography-day #international-film-swap #lomoworldfilmswap
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