Seeing Double with Louis Dazy and His “Neon Life”

All photos by Louis Dazy. Used with Creative Commons permission.

When it comes to double exposures, Paris-based Louis Dazy is among the photographers to pay attention to. With an impressive portfolio shot exclusively on film, he has been best known for his nostalgic and colorful juxtapositions of everyday life and neon signs. If you’ve been shooting film for some time, you’ve likely already come across his work. Otherwise, we think his Neon Life series will get you inspired to give double exposures a go, whether with film or digital.

Dazy began his “ever ongoing” Neon Life series four years ago, photographing his friends and double exposing the shots with neon signs he comes across. Now on its fourth installment, the series continues to be the Parisian film photographer’s most popular. This latest collection is particularly noteworthy for exuding a more sure and confident photographer who has perfected his double exposure technique.

Neon Life is such an eye-catching body of work for several reasons. First, there’s the heightened nostalgia that comes with his choice to shoot double exposures on film. Another is Dazy’s evident affinity with neon colors. And cementing all of these together is his eye for scenes that prove perfect for his emotive storytelling style.

While it’s now possible to achieve digital double exposures in-camera, Dazy prefers to shoot in film. This choice, he explained in our interview with him, came after he realized that it was the look of film that he was trying to achieve with his Canon 60D. He finds the entire process appealing. “Like I said, I’m not really comfortable with digital cameras. It lacks the whole process that I like with film, the excitement before you develop it, the fact that you can’t see the immediate result and of course the fact that no one’s going to ask if they can review the pictures of them on your camera.”

Curious and want to see more of his film photography? Definitely check out his website and Behance portfolio to see more of Neon Life and his other work.