Fashion and Narratives with Manuela Fraioli and the Lomourette Half-Frame Camera
1 5London-based Italian fashion and portrait photographer Manuela Fraioli explores themes of femininity and movement within her work and enjoys the slow nature of film photography. We've always admired her playful photographs and thought she'd be the perfect candidate for testing out the Half-frame Lomourette with some LomoChrome Purple 35 mm film and Lomography 400 CN 35 mm film. We caught up with Manuela and asked her how she found shooting with this half frame 35 mm camera.
How have you been since we spoke?
I’ve been well, thank you. Last year, one of my portraits was featured in the Portrait of Britain book, which was such an incredible experience. Since then, I’ve been dedicating more time to my personal projects and developing my print work. I’m really excited to be back testing a new Lomography camera and sharing the journey with the community!
What were your first impressions of the Lomourette before you started shooting?
My first impression of the Lomourette was really positive—I was immediately attracted by the design and the color choice for the camera body.
It’s super lightweight and fun to carry around, and it even fits easily in your pocket, which makes it perfect for the city. I did run into a bit of trouble loading my first roll of film, but things went much more smoothly with the second one. It’s definitely been a fun camera to get to know!
Have you ever shot half frame before and did it change the way you approach the frame?
No, I hadn’t tried a half-frame camera before, so I was really excited to give it a go. I feel like the half-frame format really suits my natural shooting style—I’m not a snap photographer, I like to take my time and wait for the right moment. Shooting half-frame gives me more space to build a narrative and play with contrast. I think there’s a lot of potential for storytelling with this format, and I’d definitely love to use it for a fashion editorial.
What did you choose to shoot?
My choice of film was mostly influenced by what I had on hand. I’d previously tested Lomo Purple during an editorial shoot I did for you, so this time I wanted to try something different. I decided to explore more street photography and headed to Greenwich for that with my friend Ermanno. For the color print, I organized a test shoot with Francesca, a professional model, and experimented with a street-style approach to shooting with her.
How did you find the results?
I’m really happy with the results—the storytelling aspect came through beautifully. As I mentioned earlier, the half-frame format opens so many creative possibilities for narrative work. I especially love how the portraits turned out. The contrast you can achieve by shooting from different angles or pairing completely opposite subjects is so powerful. It’s a format which I find incredibly inspiring.
What’s coming up for you in 2025?
Outside of work and personal projects, I’m also getting ready to start selling my prints through my website, which I’m really excited about, and I’ve just launched a YouTube channel called manukaonfilm focused on photography and life in London, with the support of my photographer friend Ermanno. Our next vlog will be a review of the Lomourette camera. I’m also really looking forward to testing more Lomography products and continuing to share my experiences with the community.
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