Memphis photographer, multimedia artist, writer and musician Erica Qualy recently completed a photography project entitled “16 Friends and Strangers” using an Olympus 35mm half-frame camera from the 1960s and shooting on expired film.
Qualy, originally from Minneapolis, MN, moved to Memphis in 2011 and has been an active member of the art scene since. A poet and DIY artist, she has curated the Memphis Zine Fest for the past seven years.
In December, she began her project by sending out an open call on social media for anyone who wanted to sit for a portrait. She scheduled participants — some friends, some strangers — according to her carefully-planned system. Then, she invited them into her home for their session.
Qualy set up a tripod and a lighting rig in a space that functions as a sort of photography studio, dressing room and storehouse for the vintage clothes that she sells at Tako’s Treasures.
Shooting one half-frame at a time
The idea for shooting subjects on a half-frame camera came about after she had experimented with her grandfather’s camera.
She saw a picture with two images side-by-side and said, “What is this camera?”
Some research on eBay turned up an old Olympus Pen half-frame camera, which she scored for less than $150. The roll of film she used likely expired some time around 2003 or so.
Because the camera creates two exposures on each frame of film, and Qualy shot each subject three times. The resulting photographs feel like dominoes with lots of doubles mixed in.
Half of the photographs show double portraits, from two different clicks of the half-frame shutter.
The other half of the photographs are split between that odd portrait of one sitter, and the first frame from the next sitter, whomever that might be.
Building a community through photography
The project’s title, “16 Friends and Strangers,” references the number of people who could be included in this project with the single roll of 24-exposure black-and-white film that she had, a gift from a friend.
The exuberant community that comes to life before the viewer’s eyes is not only the subject of Qualy’s artistic vision. It simply would not exist without it.
“I haven’t been this excited for a project in a minute,” Qualy says.
She was speaking in the first in-person meeting of the Memphis Film Revival, a group of friends who share a love for film photography. They were planning their first processing party, where they pooled resources to develop their exposed rolls of black-and-white film together with friends.
At the end of the roll, she found she had an extra frame left, and asked her last subject to take her portrait.
But wait, there was yet another frame. So, her boyfriend joined in for this one, as well as their dog, Honeybear Skrimps (who stuck around for just one click of the shutter).
“But that’s part of the fun with film photography!” she says. “I’m not sure if i’ll include the entire set in the series or not.”
Qualy hopes to exhibit these images in a show some time soon and has even set aside a second roll for her next portrait series.
“I’ve got such a great feeling about this project.”
Check out “16 Friends and Strangers” to see the full series, as well as some insights from Qualy on putting the project together.
Editor’s note: We welcome this post from Aaron Brame, a content writer, film photographer, and musician living in Memphis, Tennessee. He is also the CEO of Chops Enterprises, which provides smart, professional writing services for organizations and companies looking to reach their ideal audience.
