"Swiss Miss" by Kaitlyn Mikayla Brings Fashion Photography to the Swiss Alps with Lomo Color Negative Film

Kaitlyn Mikayla is a triple threat with her full-time commitments to photography, directing and editing, who has recently completely retired her digital camera in favor of the art of analogue photography. The New York, London, and Los Angeles-based creative who we've previously featured back in 2017 for her short film 'HOPE' is back today to share her magical, fairytale inspired shots throughout Europe, brought to life by Lomography Color Negative 100, 400, and 800 film.

Hi Kaitlyn, welcome back to Lomography Magazine! Can you tell us what you've been up to since your last feature?

Thank you! It’s such an honor to be back. Since we last spoke, I’ve fully committed myself to shooting only film, retiring my digital camera to the shelf and I’ve expanded into directing films and fashion commercials. I spent the last six years shooting commercially and I’ve dedicated this year to getting back into my artistic style and unlearning a lot of the cookie cutter styles that commercial fashion often leans towards. It’s been a challenge but this series has particularly gotten me out of that rut.

Can you tell us about the concept for your most recent shoot?

The concept was born from a series Josephine and I have been working on. Since exploring the UK and Europe, we’ve been drawing inspiration from fairytale motifs. In the Cotswolds, we leaned into a coquette/cottage core aesthetic. In Tuscany, we went angelic. Finally, we wanted to round out the series with a woodland nymph vibe in the Swiss Alps.

How did Lomography's range of color negative film compliment your vision?

In order to get the rich colors and dreamy visuals, I knew shooting Lomo Color Negative 100, 400, and 800 would be the way to go. For this series I shot through all different times of day, morning, noon and sunset.

Do you have a favorite shot from the series? Is there a story behind it?

It’s so hard to choose. I always love my double exposures, half of the time they’re accidental and sometimes they’re purposeful. I always try to do a couple per shoot just for a fun experiment. But for this series, I’d have to say I particularly love the shots of Josephine climbing the rocks with the stunning lake behind her. We had so much fun in this moment and Josephine really leaned into the character, serving the perfect attitude for the shot.

What camera kit did you shoot with for this series?

I shot this entire series solely on my Mamiya RB67 with a 90 mm lens. I always intend to change out my lenses but the 90 was perfect for being out in the wild and traveling light.

Do you have any tips or tricks for shooting with these film stocks?

My favorite thing, especially for a fairytale-esque, dreamy series like this one is to add a soft focus filter. I find these filters are exceptional when shooting on film and they give the stock more romance, which I was particularly craving for this set.

Can you share your number one tip for budding Lomographers?

Commit! If you have a vision in your head chase after it and don’t be afraid of film. For years I’d always carry my digital with me for the fear that I’d mess up the film. But the second I stopped and dedicated my work to film, was the moment I learned to appreciate the mistakes and lean into them. And my images only got stronger. (That and your light meter is your best friend!)

Do you have any upcoming shoots or projects that you can share?

I’m so excited to be working on my first narrative film, with the hopes to start production later this year, and of course, I will be shooting it on 16 mm film.

Anything else you'd like to share?

Keep on shooting. Never stop. No matter how many rolls you mess up! You’ll find your rhythm.

If you're interested in keeping up with Kaitlyn make sure to check out her Instagram and website!

written by eloffreno on 2023-07-15 #gear #people #places #fashion #narrative #editorial #storytelling #narration