A Seven Year Film Swap Journey with Mia and Erdal

Bonded by their love for analogue photography, street art, travel, and the French-German duo Stereo Total, Lomographers Mia (@nationale7) and Erdal (@erdalito) have collaborated on over 30 film swap projects (and counting!) within the last seven years.

Architecture, travel, and nature are common themes that emerge from their photographs. With Mia based in California, and Erdal in Germany, the results from the film swaps almost always highlight the colorful imagery and expanse both places bring – inviting the other to live vicariously through their photographs and beyond.

Mia and Erdal are no strangers to the collaborative process that comes with film swapping. Having participated in various swaps years before they even connected with one another, they both knew of the wide range of possibilities this could bring to their creative practice, as well as the uncertainties that are intrinsically linked to it.

As of today, Mia has participated in over 200 film swaps with film hobbyists and photographers from all over the world. She shares how the process has “breathed new life” into her photography and acts as an extension of something dear to her:

“It was a nice continuation of my love of sending letters to pen pals. I am an introvert and being able to connect with people over our love of photography has been life changing. All those years ago I could never have imagined that I would eventually complete over 200 swaps with people from around the world. I am also grateful for all of the friendships that I made along the way. Most of all Erdal!”

She also gives a nod to fellow Lomographer Beth (@bethmac) for introducing her to the concept of film swapping back in 2014 and for being her first film swap collaborator.

Erdal’s first film swap experience was by way of Flickr.com, where he joined an online group dedicated to the practice of film swapping.

“I did a black and white swap with a photographer in Huntsville, Alabama and another one in Florence and was blown away by the results. Everything was new and the process was different.”

Through these past collaborations, he has picked up invaluable tips he continues to carry on into his film swap projects:

“To avoid sunlight, take pictures against it. To create silhouettes, tunnels would work. Black space is good space. Dark clothing is better than lighter tones.”

Taste and technique wise, Mia and Erdal’s collaborative partnership perfectly complements both of their styles – allowing them to make the most out of each frame. Mia’s photographs lean more towards close ups of various flora and fauna, whilst Erdal’s covers more wide open spaces and the different street artworks present in them. Where each one fills in the parts of the frame the other had left space for – Mia’s photos make up the foreground, and Erdal’s in the background.

As avid users of LomoChrome Turquoise, they have taken this particular roll with them to US National Parks, Australia's UNESCO World Heritage sites, and beyond. Partaking in their film swap projects also makes room for interesting stories involving postal services. Erdal shares:

“I love this whole process of our film swap friendship. Whenever I travel, I make it a point to take an extra roll for Mia. And through this, I’ve had the funniest experiences in post offices all around the world.”

Despite being continents apart, together they were also able to develop an annual film swap tradition which takes place every Halloween season and lasts until the end of the holidays.

You may wonder what keeps this partnership alive? Mia and Erdal suggest it has much to do with the kind of support they have for one another, paired with their growing curiosity and openness to experiment on all things analogue.

“Erdal and I are both flexible and this makes our collaborations more enjoyable. I don’t feel any pressure from him. If a roll doesn’t come out well, we are always hopeful for the next attempt. We’re sometimes disappointed, but never dissuaded.”

Initially brought together by their desire to continue capturing moments on film in unique ways, Mia and Erdal have cemented a solid foundation for an inspired friendship to grow one film swap at a time, year by year.

“We live in a world of instant gratification, and film is the opposite. You don’t see the photo right away, and for collaborations it can sometimes take years! The moment you captured lives on forever, and the negatives are satisfyingly tangible.” - Mia

Thank you to Mia and Erdal for sharing their film swap journey with us! Make sure to check out their Lomohomes (@nationale7 and @erdalito) and follow them on Instagram to keep an eye out on upcoming projects they may have. Encouraged to go out and try film swapping with members from the Lomography community? Feel free to share your thoughts below! We’d love to hear about your collaborative experiences and developed projects!

written by macasaett on 2023-08-13 #people #filmswap #community #usa #germany #lomochrome-turquoise