Photo Diary: In the Mood for Love? Koltin Sullivan Will Have You Catching Feelings & An Appreciation for Analog Photography
IN THE SPIRIT OF THE MONTH OF LOVE β analog photographer Koltin Sullivan led a Valentineβs Day shoot, collaborating with Sara Slayton as his model. The project not only plays on familiar commercial characters of love, as portrayed by Slaytonβs Cupid, but also radiates a playful dreaminess β in some ways visualizing the initial stages of being in love.
Sullivan picked up analog photography in 2018, after watching modelographers in Maine, and hasnβt looked back since. Since then, heβs traveled to over 36 states in pursuit of perfecting his craft, learning about natural lighting and how to utilize his analog equipment. Despite losing stability due to the pandemic and personal health issues in 2020, which kept him from being able to shoot, Sullivan didnβt let anything interfere with his analog passion.
From his bedside, he was able to create and sell film-processing chemistry kits all over the world, before joining the team at CineStill in November of the same year. Today, Sullivan is able to partake in and enjoy every step of the highly technical art form that is film photography. He shoots 35 mm, 120, Super 8, and 16 mm, and processes everything from a darkroom in his home.
Check out Sullivan and Slaytonβs shoot and interview below to learn about film photography, how they captured the Valentine's Day vision, and their love languages!
[FOR KOLTIN]
LUNA: The shoot was obviously inspired by Cupid in honor of Valentineβs Day. There are so many ways you could have executed this theme of love β how did you settle with this specific vision?
SULLIVAN: Itβs always the question of βhow can I attempt to convey this concept given my resources?β I donβt like working with too much β I prefer less. Iβm usually around less, and it forces creativity. If I had a budget and more help, maybe I would prefer more. I saw other Valentineβs-themed shoots and I felt like this one had a place in the ecosystem since it was different. It wasnβt overwhelming, it was simplistic, and almost felt like a vintage Valentineβs Day card. I wanted to revive that energy and remind people of the craftfulness and feeling of vintage sets. I know if I was able to set the environment right Sara would be easily able to live in that world β easy for her to play βmake believeβ or βpretend.β It has a playful quality to it β itβs warmer that way. Iβve lived on the road and itβs been rough at times. Photography is a love, and love is pushing through the hardships with the little I had. I love shooting in abandoned places β I donβt know why but Iβm attracted to the energy; itβs a blank canvas, and turning nothing into something, body movement and emoteβ¦ thatβs what I want to play with. Iβve also been watching a lot of Lynch lately, and maybe I built off Blue Velvet a bit. I settled on this specific vision because for a studio set it represented that abandoned distant energy the most.
LUNA: The photos have a very dreamy energy to them. How are you hoping they will portray your perception of love and romance?
SULLIVAN: I wanted an ominous/dreamy setting β we donβt know whatβs behind the curtain, which makes it limiting, but the staples of the cherubs are in there with the wings and arrow, so it feels fairytale-like. The mix of those two are sort of contrasted. Itβs those subconscious nuances and details that bring it home for me. I used a single light from the 1960s, and it has this warm quality of light and old reflector housing. One variable that helps the shoot is the star filter. I double stacked an 85 and star filter on top of each other. I took one look into my viewfinder and said, βIt would be great to have a star filter,β and Dustyn, who was doing BTS and owns the studio, miraculously had one. Without that filter, it wouldnβt have been as effective. There are also a few shots with lower shutter speeds, 1/30, where I was moving the camera while taking them to add more blur. The blur reminds me of the soul of the person. I hope all these portray a sense of warm, hazy romance.
LUNA: What was probably the most difficult part of the shoot? Any frustrating moments or technical difficulties?
SULLIVAN: The process, regardless how challenging, is what keeps it fun and exciting. The minute I dread any aspect of it is when I know I lost it and donβt love it. Iβll always be a student of photography and Iβll always be learning. So when circumstances may be categorized as βfrustratingβ or βdifficult,β itβs more of an opportunity to expand and grow. Itβs a positive β you almost seek it. The variable that was prominent was how to play the concept. Did I want it energetic, or sensual, or stoic, and how does the set support that? Sara is a big personality so I [knew] we could push it if we wanted to, but I wasnβt worried about the delivery at all. Typically outside the creative, the logistics are βthe work,β like, βI know I want hearts, but what kind of hearts, and are they big or small, and how many, and where to place them?β Those silly questions about details are the ones Iβm always perplexed by, and in my opinion are harder than the actual shoot. But when I figure it out, itβs like solving a puzzle β itβs rewarding. Additionally, when you have artistics you trust working with you, you dance with the stream of consciousness and ideas flow. When they are at a standstill, you keep moving, but look at it with no preconceived ideas, then an idea comes and you grab it. The key is not to force anything.
LUNA: Photography can be a pricey talent and hobby to maintain, especially with film photography requiring all these physical elements to process. Despite this, what drew you to analog over digital when you first started shooting?
SULLIVAN: Brianna Fern, a model and photographer in Maine, invited me over in 2017. I saw her shoot analog on a farm in Maine in a Gunne Sax dress and I thought it was the most beautiful thing. I was swooned by the beauty of Maine and her shooting analog. I kept flying back from LA and I started to meet other analog shooters in New England, like my friends Anna, Darien, and Maria. It became my world β I was so intrigued. It was so different from LA. Maybe thatβs what I needed to be inspired by, just a different environment. The community was small and unbelievably nice; I always had a place to stay, and it felt like home. Maine is a place of freedom β itβs a place of experimenting, and because of this, [this] is what analog represents: ultimate freedom. Now in 2023, analog is popular and that's a great thing, but prices have risen dramatically and working cameras are getting harder to find β they are being picked over. The popularity can also make price gouging seem normal.. mix that with inflation and a seller might reason to upcharge a camera that cost $250 in 2017 to at least $700 in 2023. I make chemicals myself, I process myself, and have resources for obtaining film so my costs are extremely low. I learned about making chemistry and that opened my world to even more learning and complete creative control. Itβs the only way I can allow myself to do it.
LUNA: Shooting analog is definitely an entire experience that extends beyond shooting the photos itself. What was your favorite part of this process, start to finish?
SULLIVAN: Photographic film has a history of over 100 years β these cameras have stories and energy to them, and thereβs a ton of options so thereβs something for everyone. I love researching and seeing the cameras change by era. Iβve learned about engineering, marketing, math, and philosophy just by diving into analog. I love the tactile element β I feel like an artist that way. There are films and filters that allow you to capture beyond what the eye can see, [and] that is magic. Whether you shoot 35 mm, 120, large format, instant film, Super 8, or 16 mm, thereβs always something to reach for and learn. I shot digital for a few years, but the uniformity of the glass lacked character and feeling. I started to shoot with Sonnar/Biogon Zeiss lenses on my Sony Ξ±7R II and then I started studying optical glass and why I liked the look, sort of reverse-engineering it. It turns out I like the low element, low group lenses. I like the early stuff, the lenses with optical flare, no coating, less modification of the light β thatβs character, and I adapted it into my work, gritty. Shooting analog allows you to connect with your subject deeply. All of a sudden, each frame counts, youβre on a team, and [you] can take risks now that you know how youβre operating. Delayed gratification is rare now and such a change of experience. Processing yourself allows you total creative control. For instance, you can add contrast and saturation or roll off the highlights if needed; you can cross-process and mix dye couplers with different developers or skip bleach completely. Thatβs why itβs important to pre-visualize and know how to use a spotmeter. Iβve streamlined my process and built a dryer, and I use a camera scan set-up. Although I enjoy each part of this process, because each process has an art to it I would say choosing the overall look and developing a concept is my favorite part of this process.
[FOR SARA]
LUNA: Is there anything you had to do to prepare yourself before or during the shoot to help execute Koltinβs Valentineβs vision? How do you usually mentally prepare for your shoots?
SLAYTON: For me, preparation is all about imagination. Before the shoot, I said to Koltin, βLetβs get into it. Who is my character? What is her backstory? Why is she here?β He didnβt miss a beat. Before the camera clicked, weβd created something. Thatβs one of my favorite things about shooting with Koltin. He is right there with me, imagining a story that hasnβt been told yet, breathing life into it, something that feels right for both of us.
LUNA: What was your favorite and least favorite part of the process?
SLAYTON: My favorite part of shooting is creating β the feeling of connectedness when you collaborate on a shared vision. The intimacy of film. The satisfaction of your final shot. The film hasnβt been developed yet, you havenβt seen a thing, but you feel full knowing youβve created. Youβve turned your energy and imagination into something tangible. I find that sense of release really, truly beautiful. Oh, and my least favorite part: taking my makeup off after. I want to keep it on forever, and taking it off is a whole to-do.
LUNA: What's your love language (to give and receive) and the most simple thing someone can do that makes you feel seen?
SULLIVAN: Time is the best gift to give and receive. Thatβs the only thing that is limited. If someone chooses to spend time with you, thatβs something special to cherish.
[FOR SARA AND KOLTIN]
LUNA: How do you show the people in your life love?
SULLIVAN: I spent time with them, I listen to them, I laugh with them, and eat with them. Iβll always remember that β itβs a memory.
SLAYTON: My ranking has shifted throughout the years, but my number one has always been touch, both to give and receive. That being said, I feel the most seen when someone is fully there, wholeheartedly attentive and experiencing life with me without judgment or expectation. Iβm not sure which love language this falls under β if itβs the thread across or a love language in and of itself. But I do think presence is the greatest gift we can give each other.
