What is a Double Exposure / Multiple Exposure and How Do You Create One?

 

This is probably one of my most frequently asked questions. If you follow my work, you know I’m obsessed with double exposures and multiple exposures. At this point, I won’t even buy a camera if it doesn’t have the capability to create them! But what exactly is a “double exposure” or “multiple exposure”?

Well, it’s actually much more simple than you’d think. It’s essentially just an image over top of an image. For example, a “double exposure” is just one image with another image taken over top of it. In film photography, it means the shutter was activated twice over the same film frame. Thus, the film was exposed twice, creating two images, one over top of the other. A “multiple exposure” is typically more than two images over top of each other. You could also refer to them as “triple exposures” or “quadruple exposures”, etc.

Not all film cameras allow you to do this (though I prefer cameras that do)! One of my favorite cameras to use for multiple exposures is the Holga GCFN. I’ve made a full video about this camera on my YouTube channel because I love it so much! It’s easy to accidentally create double and multiple exposures with this camera because you have to manually wind the film between each image. If you forgot to wind the film after you took an image, you’ll end up shooting over the same frame and creating an accidental double exposure! Honestly though, that’s the magic of the Holga camera. Many people don’t enjoy cameras without an automatic film advance because it’s way too easy to forget whether you advanced the film or not. Personally, I prefer to have full control over my images and I don’t mind when those magic images happen on their own. :) I’ve included a few examples at the end of the post, so be sure to scroll down to see!

A few of my other favorite film cameras to use for double exposures are the Nikon FE2 35 mm camera (check out my YouTube video on this camera) and Contax 645 Medium format camera (I have a YouTube video on this one too)! But a Holga GCFN is a great place to start because they are so affordable, ranging from about $40-70 depending on which model you go with (I always recommend the GCFN model).

When it comes to digital photography and multiple exposures, not all camera brands allow you to create in-camera double and multiple exposures. This is why I prefer to shoot Canon, preferably with my Canon 5D Mark IV, because they have a feature built into the camera that makes them super easy and fun to create. I also use a Canon EOS R, but I find it to be a bit slower when taking double/multiple exposures.

The secret to creating amazing double exposures and multiple exposures is to EXPERIMENT. Try shooting different textures, landscapes and portraits, and mix and match to see how it all turns out. I’ll be sharing a blog post soon with a few tips and tricks on creating unique images, so make sure to check back!

If you found this post helpful or if you’d like to see more of my work, I’d love it if you considered signing up for my Patreon! For as little as $1 a month, you’ll get early access to all of my YouTube videos, plus tons of photos that I don’t post anywhere else. Depending on which tier you choose, you could also receive seasonal prints and/or discounts! I always use all of the proceeds towards cameras, film & processing. Find out more here!

Feel free to leave any questions, comments, tips, etc. Thanks for stopping by!

<3 Myles Katherine

This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. 

Holga GCFN Double Exposure Examples:

Canon Digital Full-Frame Double Exposure Examples:

 

Vivitar IC 101 35 mm Panorama Camera Review | Hawaii

 

The Vivitar IC 101 has become one of my favorite cameras. Before using it, I had never experimented with the panoramic frame before (other than with an iPhone, obviously). I'm honestly not even sure where this camera came from. One day it magically appeared in one of my drawers and it took me years to even get around to trying it out. You can get them off eBay for anywhere from $8-40. It's extremely lightweight and doesn't feel super sturdy, but it's really fun and easy to take photos with. I especially had fun taking vertical shots with it, which you can see at the very end of the post.  

I just used this camera for the first time last April, when Chris and I went to Hawaii to get married. We spent 7 days on Maui with our immediate families and then 3 days on Lanai for our honeymoon. The entire time I was using this camera, I wasn't even sure if it was taking photos. It seemed too easy to just press the shutter release and wind to the next frame over and over again. At some point I even accidentally took a few double exposures. The shutter button got stuck a few times so I would rewind the film a little bit and try again, which resulted in the overlapping images. 

At the end of the roll when it's time to rewind, you simply press the film release button on the bottom of the camera and slowly and gently wind the film until it's finished. It's actually pretty difficult to rewind the film with this camera and I've heard stories of people splitting their film, but I just made sure to take it slow and not force it. So far I have not split a roll, so yay! 

I've included a few sample photos and double exposures below. As you will notice, the images are not very sharp. The camera definitely doesn't have the greatest lens on it, but I really enjoy the vintage vibe that the images produce. The panoramic frame is also really beautiful to look at and I'm so happy that I ended up taking this camera with me on such a special trip. I'll definitely be treasuring these photos forever.

Let me know what you think of this camera below and be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel, Cameras & Cats, to learn more about all of my favorite cameras and to see live video footage using this camera! 

CAMERA: Purchase a Vivitar IC101 on eBay!

FILM RECOMMENDATIONS:

Lomography 100 35mm film

Kodak Portra 160 35mm

Fuji Superia X-tra 35mm

Kodak UltraMax 400 35mm

This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. 

Have a magical day!