Double Exposure

Shot across two contrasting rides from the dry heat of Death Valley CA to the mist-covered forests of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, Chas Christiansen and Alvin Escajeda explore memory, movement, and place.

Words and photos by Chas Christiansen & Alvin Escajeda.

noun: dou·ble ex·po·sure

The repeated exposure of a photographic plate or film to light, often producing ghost images.

"the transparency of the two characters is a result of double exposure"

Chas: It’s always a gamble to shoot a roll of doubles. Each photo captures a specific moment in time, but how will those two unqiue moments work together? The finished roll provides glimpses of individual memories as well as completely new images from the layering of exposures. You can shoot a whole roll and get nothing but blurry and distorted photos..but the single image that shines through makes the whole process worthwhile.

The goal for these three rolls of doubles was to tour in two very different environments and see how the images juxtaposed with each other.

First we toured the Southern Sierras and the outskirts of Death Valley CA, right at the tail of the season when temperatures were just beginning to become unbearable. From 9000ft peaks to below sea level valleys we spent 4 days traversing some of the driest environments California has to offer.

We followed this up by heading north to Washington state to circumnavigate the Olympic Peninsula and explore the Puget South via ferries This trip was dominated by water, the Olympic Peninsula is home to the only temperate rainforest in the Continental US and even in the middle of summer was misty, damp, and moist. The Islands of the Puget Sound are linked by a network of ferries, carrying tourists like us as well as local residents. Island hopping around the protected waters ways bordering Canada we spent our days looping islands and sleeping on beaches.

I feel like the small number of truly interesting images that 3 rolls of double exposures produced really capture both Southern CA and Northern WA in both vibe and temperament.

These two vastly different places and climates demanded the entire range of technical outerwear to stay comfortable from mountain top to misty ferry ride.

Alvin: "Cycling on the West Coast of the US is my favorite place in the world to ride. The amount of variety is mind boggling, from rain forests to deserts, we took it upon ourselves to ride through both in the beginning of summer. In a matter of 5 weeks on 2 different tours, we rode over 1,200kms through Death Valley and The Olympic Peninsula. From the barren and unforgiving landscape of Death Valley in California, to the mossy impenetrable forests of Washington State, the two offered such dramatically contrasting perspectives and challenges. These double exposures offer a look into both tour experiences and a representation of how trips can blur into each other as time goes on."