Double Exposure Stories

Last night, as I was knee deep in a photo editing marathon when I was contacted by McKenzie, the adorable 20 year old who hand knits all the crocheted bikinis I use in my shoots. She had a rare night off and wanted to come over to shoot. Though I was busy, I knew how rare it was for her to have a free evening, and even more rare that she'd be brave enough to leave the house alone and drive on her own the twenty minutes (that's a long drive in her nervous mind) just to come see me.

By the time she arrived, I needed the break anyway, so I saved what I was doing and got out the camera. I'd never shot just straight double exposures in a dark room before, and since I'd always wanted to try it and my bedroom is currently draped in all dark sheets for another project anyway, I told her to hop on my bed and we'd try some out.

As always, I listened as she discussed her frustrations with life, her boyfriend, modeling, etc.. I offered advice where I could and comforting and encouraging words when necessary. We did all this while I was changing my settings and failing at setting my focus properly in the dark living room aiming into the almost black bedroom.

There was still just enough daylight shining through the windows of my living room to illuminate her, and especially with multiple exposures it's important to underexpose each shot anyway. We shot a few series of her multiplied in the scene, first two of her, then three and four. They were more successful than I thought they'd be, though I was still learning a lot in the moment.

After my hour of distraction was up, I started to pack up my tripod when she said she wanted to try one more. She thought it would be funny to look as though she were "copping a feel" on herself and asked if I could capture that. "Sure," I said, removing the camera mount from the tripod, deciding to hand hold the camera for this attempt. We discussed the logistics, got her in place, and started. The first shot was easy, of her hand outstretched and smiling a little. The second took three attempts. The first attempt had her hand too far away. The second had her hand deeply embedded into her chest like an Indiana Jones villain. Finally, like Goldilocks's porridge, the third one was just right.

I'm still unsatisfied with how dark the images ended up being, having to use a higher ISO and include more grain than I'm used to. However, it was another fun learning experience that I'll probably attempt tonight with another new model. If it's successful, you here on Patreon will be the first ones to find out.

Thank you again, as always, for your comments and continued support. It means far more to me than you could ever realize. Have a great weekend!