2 Artists Photograph Each Other: Elaff Houmsse and Nine Wells

On March 19th, 2026, Ohio artists and best friends Elaff Houmsse and Nine Wells photographed each other for the first time. Femme Foto sat down with them for an interview.

Laurel: So who are you guys?

Nine: So who are you? How do you define…

Elaff: Myself outside of my name?

N: Yeah.

E: Mmm… I'm an artist person feeler person. Artist, person, feeler.

L: And what is that person’s name?

E: Elaff Houmsse.

N: I'm Nin..a Wells.

E: Yeah.

N: I go by Nine. I identify as a lover, feeler, creator, student, teacher, player. But not player in a love way, player like I like to play. Have fun.

L: How long have you known each other?

N: We've known each other since July 2021, we met on my…

E: 21st birthday.

N: We met on my 21st birthday and we were friends at first sight. We met actually at Davi’s “Alone in the Crowd” release party.

E: I was on the merch booth.

N: She was working the merch booth. Praise is our mutual friend and whatever way, I was standing by the booth and she came over and, like, tapped my shoulder, was like, hey. And I was like, hey, we had heard of each other before, but we had never met.

E: I followed you on social media.

N: Right, like we’d seen each other on social media, but this is definitely our first time meeting.

E: So I felt like I already knew you.

N: We laughed upon first meeting, so that’s cool. I don’t know if it was our first time creating together, but you were in “MIND, BODY, SPIRIT, AND SOUUUL.”

E: Yeah. That was our first, like, you’re no longer artists, you’re becoming friends.

N: Right. I would say so.

E: Like break the barrier.

N: That was maybe the following fall, not fall 2021 but fall 2022. So like we had seen each other around and stuff.

E: Yeah, because you have that dope creative person you know in your community and then it becomes more than that. And that was at your studio.

N: Facts. So that next summer I got a residency with Street Light Guild and that was my first residency right out of undergrad. That summer was so cool. I would invite artists to come kick it with me, and we’d like, do different videos, like Blender, we were watching Blender tutorials. And just share ideas, just bounce ideas, whatever. And then she was in the show that following fall after that commemorated my residency. So there was 30 different Ohio based artists and she was one of them.

E: That’s me!

N: I actually also wouldn’t live where I currently live right now if it wasn’t for Elaff. Elaff found my apartment.

E: Okay like selfishly, it was right next to me.

N: [laughs] She found an apartment down the street.

E: I said oh my god, this is perfect! [laughs] You should move here!

N: That’s why we currently live literally like 3 minutes away from each other.

E: It’s just the best.

N: Yeah. I guess we rock with each other or whatever.

E: Or whatever. You’re so cool.

Maya: Today is your first time photographing each other.

N: Yeah, like at the same time.

M: Can you talk more about that?

N: This was a really fun experience.

M: Why haven’t you guys taken photos (of each other) yet?

N: Like, we've definitely worked collaboratively before, but never in this way.

E: Never just solely based on us.

N: Yeah, right, right. It's like, kind of like if we've done it, it's been like a larger commentary.

E: And we're trying to prove a point.

N: Right?

E: Always, consistently.

N: We're trying to prove a point for sure. So this was the first thing where, like, the point was just like documenting our time and our knowing each other and our friendship.

E: Us.

N: So this was really dope for that because like, you know, time is always happening, and change happens and, you know, people get old.

E: Okay [laughs].

N: Like way old.

E: Like, really old.

N: Like, really old!

M: What has it meant to photograph each other?

N: I really enjoy photographing Elaff because it's like, she's just somebody that’s so fun in my life. We just have a lot of fun with each other, we can laugh anywhere, we can go to a grocery store and it's just fun. So it's always fun creating together and it's cool to document one another at that time.

E: I think it's about documenting.

N: It’s cool to document one another.

E: It’s definitely like, we'll look at these pictures later, which makes them sad.

N: Right.

E: Because we'll probably look at them when we're not together.

N: It's special and sad. It’s the best things that are.

E: That’s the thing about photo.

N: Yeah. Photo. It's really awesome because you can document the time, but like, then when time changes, you can come back to it. And that is kind of the part that's sad about it…

E: Yeah.

N: …but I'm a very nostalgic person, so that's why I love photo because I could like look back and be like, aw, that happened in like that time and that day…

E: We talked about it, about other people in our lives. There's certain people you meet in certain years of your life, formidable years of your life. And I think you're one of those people for me.

N: Yeah. As fuck.

E: So it’s like, you'll meet other people, but the people you meet in your twenties or when you're figuring out who the fuck you are every year…

N: …is very important.

E: Right. They're just different. [pause] You’re so different!

N: You’re differeeent, like you’re different! I rock with you. I guess we’re at a very interesting..

E: Moment.

N: A very interesting point in our friendship where it's like, awww…

E: It sucks.

N: We’re like awwww. Time is about to change. Well, I mean, you know, Elaff is going to grad school…

E: Woah.

N: …this fall, I mean just, I'm not sure, you know.

M: Elaff might be moving away.

E: Might be moving away.

N: Right. Maybe.

E: Probably. I don’t know.

N: Probably. But probably. Right. Right.

E: So like what does it mean to not have your closest person right around?

N: Right. Like physically, to genuinely be like, she's the most walking distance person of my friends, my family, like anybody.

E: Right.

N: So I think it's a very interesting timestamp of like, aw, this is the closest we've ever been, to finding out that we're going to be the furthest we've ever been. Yeah.

E: Are you crying?

L: Yeah.

E: Get in here.

N: Aw!

M: Because it's a beautiful friendship right here! We're lucky to witness it.

E: Bro, depressing. I’m not leaving! I’m staying.

N: Depressing! No but like you have to go.

E: That is just a sick joke.

N: No but like, I'm so absolutely excited for her and, like, so incredibly proud. So as much as I'm like, aw, you're leaving, I'm like, You fucking go and...

E: I’m going.

N: …take over. World domination. I love her.

E: The hardest person to leave is probably you, for me. Which we've talked about and cried about.

N: Yes, we’ve talked about and cried about.

E: Yes, like so insane. Yeah, like family's different, but that's what makes friends so special is like, they don't have a reason to stay around. Like your romantic partner has..

N: Romance, yeah.

E: …like, there's reasons, right? Your family has, and then friends just choose to be in each other's lives.

N: Mhm.

E: And that's what makes friends so special and so great because it's just a choice. Like we're just as close as we are because we chose to be.

N: Facts. [pause] I’d choose it again.

E: This is so romantic, I love you!

N: Awww, I love you dog.