How to take Double Exposures

I have always been an admirer of Polaroid Cameras. Despite their expensive film and arguable impracticality to their digital counterparts, there's still something to them. I'm not sure what that something is. (Though, in the current market, I think nostalgia plays a big part.) I'm fascinated by the ingenuity of instant film and the long-standing (still working) engineering behind the ubiquitous cameras of retro present. Though, I love old Polaroid cameras, there's one thing I haven't found they can do-- Double Exposures. Considering, I don't think manually jerry-rigging your camera is conducive to the mechanical life of these old/new cameras. I went looking elsewhere for a solution. I found the Fuijifilm Instax Mini Neo 90 Classic Instant Film Camera, which does in fact have a double exposure feature, among others (Long Exposure - Bulb Mode, Landscape, + more).

So, I had a way to make double exposures now, but I wasn't sure how to take these photos. I had the tool (the camera), but not the understanding of how to use the tool best. I knew that a double exposures was 2 photos merged together, or 2 exposures in one film frame, but knowing that isn't really enough for shooting double exposures well, in my experience. Even reading through the manual with examples, I still thought I didn't fully understand the process and why the examples they gave worked best. There wasn't much on an explanation. It didn't click. Therefore, I started do my own research. I went back to the photography basics of exposure and how cameras work, in order to better grasp what's happening and how to apply this knowledge to take better double exposures.

Instead of writing a full article on this topic, I created a new video, below, that is a photography tutorial on how to take better instant film double exposures. It explains how the double exposure process works, and how using basic image properties with this knowledge, you can create new, interesting ideas for double exposures. Though, the focus is on film, the principles work for digital and video as well. (It is also close-captioned, if you wish to read along.)

After researching and simplifying the process for my video script, I think I truly understand how the double exposure process works with photographic film. I'm able to think of new ways to apply what I learned for new creative photo shoots. My goal is to offer that understanding and unlimited creativity to others. Double exposures are a really cool effect, but knowing how the effect works allows you to make the end result (your work) even better. Hope you learn something new. Keep creating.