Featured Photographer: Laetitia Heisler – “Forest is a Temple”
The magic and skill inherent in multiple-exposure photography is ripe with storytelling possibilities. It’s difficult enough to get one in-camera analog image to visually express an intention, but to capture two seemingly opposed subjects onto one frame is a whole other story–one which challenges viewers to extend their ideas of the everyday and enter other realms. French-German photographer Laetitia Heisler uses (and masters) this technique in her series of double exposures, Forest is a Temple, taking us on a healing journey through the woods, camera in tow, sharing how she sees life as “a continuous transformation. Everyone and everything are intertwined.”
From her childhood in Toulon, France capturing snapshots of friends and family to studying ballet and being in a rock band as a young adult near Hamburg, Germany, art has always been present in Laetitia’s life. But during the lockdowns imposed worldwide due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she fell in love with shooting analog, and devoted her time to learning multiple exposures. “I went analog because I loved holding my instant self-portraits as I snapped them,” she says. “It's a tangible relief in a digital world going virtual. I needed to see the real me, to grapple with my emotions, contradictions, and pain. I'm an explorer. Manuals? No way! I prefer figuring out cameras myself, even if it means errors and wasted film … analog forces me to slow down, choose shots carefully, and even space months between double exposures. Watching this change is exhilarating–nothing, not even ourselves, stays the same.” Forest is a Temple emerged from a mindset of continuous change: the pandemic, isolation, meditations on time and the human connection with nature.
“For a considerable period, I dedicated myself to daily immersions in the forest for hours on end. Witnessing my reactions to the captivating beauty of plants and animals never ceases to ignite the artistic fire within me,” Laetitia explains. “The progression of the forest from week to week is an endless well of inspiration; I can revisit the same spot and be mesmerized by the evolving transformation each being undergoes in response to weather and time. The contrasting reactions of two individuals to a single situation, too, intrigue me, urging me to emphasize this diversity through my imagery.”
Laetitia sees double exposures as a form of “mental drawing,” as the photo’s outcome “materializes afterward,” helping her to see how the second frame will align with the first. In this way, the two images cannot exist without the other as the final image is the ultimate work. It’s a clever, creative way to “manifest the visions of both the visible and invisible realms,” prolonging time beyond pressing the shutter. She says, “[The double exposures] capture what's in my mind, beyond the confines of words. What resonates with me is that these images don't mirror the physical reality as we see it, but rather, they might express reality as we sense and feel it.”
Through meditation, self-portraiture, and capturing others’ portraits and merging these images with flora and trees, Laetitia is also learning how to relinquish her emotions, easing any internal or physical pain: the art of letting go. “I embrace the notion of making mistakes, jotting down notes, exercising patience, and above all, incessantly capturing frames without restraint, aiming to learn from my mishaps. The journey is far from over; I’m in a constant state of evolution.”
GALLERY
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Laetitia Heisler is a French-German analog photographer based in northern Germany who grew up in southern France. Before diving into photography, she danced ballet, rocked in a band, and meditated in India. Her journey started early, capturing friends and herself. Instant photography got her hooked, especially during lockdown when she mastered double exposures, expressing emotions through self-portraits. Nature, bodies, and fleeting feelings inspire her. She upgraded to 35mm and 120-format, collaborating with fellow artists and traveling to various countries to capture diverse types of trees, landscapes, and subjects for the initial frames of her double exposures. For her, art isn't a hobby; it's a commitment to life. She teaches photography workshops in Hamburg. Connect with her on her Website and Instagram!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lisa Toboz is a self-taught, Pittsburgh-based artist with a background in writing and literature. Her work explores self-portraiture and creativity as a form of healing using various Polaroid cameras and film. She is inspired by vernacular photography, Victorian spirit photography, and ‘70s supernatural cinematography, as well as reading fiction. Her recent photo books include Dwell (Polyseme, 2020) and The Long Way Home (Static Age UK, 2018). Her Polaroid photography can be found in various publications including Shots Magazine, as a featured artist in She Shoots Film: Self Portraits, and Polaroid Now (Chronicle Books, 2021). A copy editor by trade, she has exhibited internationally and is represented by photographer Stefanie Schneider’s Instantdreams Gallery (Palm Springs, CA).
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